The imperativeness of environmental quality in the United States transportation sector amidst biomass-fossil energy consumption and growth

Based on resource carrying capacity, this study used the revised theory of relative resource carrying capacity (RRCC) and introduced an innovative concept of relative fossil energy carrying capacity (RFECC), which evaluates the degree of fossil energy sustainability based on the relationship between economy, population, and environment. This study took China and the United States as the study objects, took the whole country as the reference area, and calculated the RFECC of population, economic, and environmental resources from 2000 to 2018. Therefore, based on the comparative analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: (i) there is a big difference in the RFECC between China and the United States, which is manifested in the inverted U-shaped trend in China and the U-shaped trend in the United States; (ii) the relative fossil energy carrying states in China and the United States are different, mainly reflected in the economy and environment; (iii) the gap in RFECC between China and the United States has gradually widened; in general, China’s economic RFECC is better than that of the United States, while environmental RFECC and population RFECC in the United States is better than that of China; and (iv) coal and oil should be used as a breakthrough point for the sustainable fossil energy and sustainable development for China and the United States, respectively.

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Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12193775 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (19) ◽

pp. 3775 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Khaled Bawaneh ◽

Farnaz Ghazi Nezami ◽

Md. Rasheduzzaman ◽

Brad Deken

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Energy Intensity ◽

The United States ◽

High Energy ◽

Total Energy Consumption ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Energy Consumption Analysis ◽

Consumption Data ◽

End Use

Healthcare facilities in the United States account for 4.8% of the total area in the commercial sector and are responsible for 10.3% of total energy consumption in this sector. The number of healthcare facilities increased by 22% since 2003, leading to a 21% rise in energy consumption and an 8% reduction in energy intensity per unit of area (544.8 kWh/m2). This study provides an analytical overview of the end-use energy consumption data in healthcare systems for hospitals in the United States. The energy intensity of the U.S. hospitals ranges from 640.7 kWh/m2 in Zone 5 (very hot) to 781.1 kWh/m2 in Zone 1 (very cold), with an average of 738.5 kWh/m2. This is approximately 2.6 times higher than that of other commercial buildings. High energy intensity in the healthcare facilities, particularly in hospitals, along with energy costs and associated environmental concerns make energy analysis crucial for this type of facility. The proposed analysis shows that U.S. healthcare facilities have higher energy intensity than those of most other countries, especially the European ones. This necessitates the adoption of more energy-efficient approaches to the infrastructure and the management of healthcare facilities in the United States.

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Plant Biomass as a Substitute for Oil in Transportation

Energy and Climate ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190490331.003.0018 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Michael B. McElroy

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Combustion Engine ◽

Motor Fuel ◽

Energy System ◽

The United States ◽

Corporate Average Fuel Economy ◽

Transportation Sector ◽

Henry Ford

As discussed in Chapter 3, the transportation sector accounts for approximately a third of total emissions of CO2 in the United States, with a smaller fraction but a rapidly growing total in China. Combustion of oil, either as gasoline or diesel, is primarily responsible for the transportation- related emissions of both countries. Strategies to curtail overall emissions of CO2 must include plans for a major reduction in the use of oil in the transportation sector. This could be accomplished (1) by reducing demand for trans¬portation services; (2) by increasing the energy efficiency of the sector; or (3) by transitioning to an energy system less reliant on carbon- emitting sources of energy. Assuming continuing growth in the economies of both countries, option 1 is unlikely, certainly for China. Significant success has been achieved already in the United States under option 2, prompted by the application of increasingly more stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. And the technological advances achieved under this program are likely to find application in China and elsewhere, given the global nature of the automobile/ truck industry. The topic for discussion in this chapter is whether switching from oil to a plant- or animal- based fuel could contribute to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from the transportation sector of either or both countries, indeed from the globe as a whole. The question is whether plant- based ethanol can substitute for gasoline and whether additional plant- and animal- derived products can cut back on demand for diesel. The related issue is whether this substitution can contribute at acceptable social and economic cost to a net reduction in overall CO2 emissions when account is taken of the entire lifecycle for production of the nonfossil alternatives. There is an extensive history to the use of ethanol as a motor fuel. Nicolas Otto, cred¬ited with the development of the internal combustion engine, used ethanol as the energy source for one of his early vehicle inventions in 1860. Henry Ford designed his first auto¬mobile, the quadricycle, to run on pure ethanol in 1896.

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Excessive Energy for Food Distribution Associated with Food Seizures1,2

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-44.1.47 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 47-54

Author(s):

NAN UNKLESBAY

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Nutrient Content ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Food Distribution ◽

Nutrient Ratios ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Energy Usage ◽

Distribution Mode

Energy expended to distribute food shipments during a 2-year period to, and within, the United States before their seizure was documented for four distribution modes: ship, truck, train and air. The food shipments were described according to their wholesale value, energy usage per distribution mode, nutrient content, energy/nutrient ratios and violation code(s) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Results were used to illustrate how this type of study could be used as an administrative tool to develop strategies for avoiding excessive energy consumption during food distribution. Recommendations were made for collecting further data to facilitate reductions in the amount of energy used to distribute human food. Finally, rather ethical questions were raised about the problem of purchasing protein foods from less-developed countries; using energy to distribute them to the United States when they are subsequently declared unfit for human consumption.

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