Regarding the article on alternative power, I’d love to know what country’s output would be the necessary average for today’s rate of 13.5 (or whatever it is). Why is Poland the minimum measurement?
It just happens to have the projected consumption. Simple coincidence.
Within the article, that number is actually referred to as the bare minimum…and your response doesn’t really address the key point of my question. So, I’d like to know what the “minimum” constitutes, because I’m wondering if 13.5 wouldn’t be so bad…that is, could we evenly distribute use of resources equally worldwide today and still have a decent life.
Countries with about the energy consumption per capita 13.5 TW gives us when spread over 6.925 billion people. (61.5 GJ per capita per annum)
Thailand
Azerbaijan
Philippines
Mexico
Serbia and Montenegro
Jamaica
Consumption figures from here:
And I can’t find a reference to a bare minimum, Cecil writes “a modest standard of living”, and as far as I can tell the Nocera article just pulls projections out of a hat. The US standard of energy consumption world wide is impossible, Poland’s at less than a quarter of that is a projection of where the growth may realistically take us.
Sorry. Of course you’re correct; my mind equates “modest standard of living” with bare minimum, as I wouldn’t want to live in less than a state of modest standards.
And thanks for the country references. It confirms that I could maintain my modest standards at 13.5. 