Faculty Opinions recommendation of Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use: An international analysis of social provisioning.

Meeting human needs at low levels of energy use is fundamental for avoiding catastrophic climate change and securing the well-being of all people. In the current international political-economic regime, no country does so.Here, we assess which socio-economic conditions might enable societies to satisfy human needs at sustainable levels of energy use, and thus reconcile human well-being with ambitious climate mitigation. Applying a novel analytical framework and a novel regression-based moderation approach to data from 106 countries, we analyse how the relationship between energy use and six dimensions of human need satisfaction varies with a wide range of socio-economic factors relevant to the provisioning of goods and services (&#8216;provisioning factors&#8217;).We find that higher achievements in provisioning factors such as income equality, public service quality, democracy and electricity access are associated with greater need satisfaction and lower energy dependence of need satisfaction. Conversely, higher levels of economic growth and extractivism are associated with lower need satisfaction and greater energy dependence of need satisfaction. Our analysis suggests that countries with beneficial configurations of key provisioning factors are much more likely to reach high levels of need satisfaction at low(er) levels of energy use. Based on our statistical models, countries with highly beneficial configurations of several key provisioning factors could likely achieve sufficient need satisfaction within levels of energy use found compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5 &#176;C without negative emissions technologies. Achieving this would be very unlikely for countries with detrimental provisioning configurations.Improvements in relevant provisioning factors may thus be crucial for ending human deprivation in currently underproviding countries without exacerbating climate and ecological crises, and for tackling the ecological overshoot of currently needs-satisfying countries without compromising sufficient need satisfaction. However, as key pillars of the suggested changes in provisioning run contrary to the dominant political-economic regime, a broader political-economic transformation may be required to organise provisioning for the satisfaction of human needs within sustainable levels of energy use.Our findings have important implications for climate mitigation, poverty eradication, development discourses, and efforts towards Sustainable Development Goals and socio-ecological transformation.

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Dynamic thermal response of low-energy residential buildings based on in-wall measurements

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201911104002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 04002 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kyriaki Foteinaki ◽

Rongling Li ◽

Alfred Heller ◽

Morten Herget Christensen ◽

Carsten Rode

Keyword(s):

Air Temperature ◽

Energy Use ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Measurement Data ◽

Thermal Response ◽

Low Energy ◽

Space Heating ◽

Internal Wall ◽

Load Bearing ◽

Concrete Elements

This study analysed the dynamic thermal response of a low-energy building using measurement data from an apartment block in Copenhagen, Denmark. Measurements were collected during February and July 2018 on space heating energy use, set-points, room air temperature and temperature from sensors integrated inside concrete elements, i.e. internal walls and ceiling, at different heights and depths. The heating system was controlled by the occupants. During February, there were unusually high set-points for some days and a regular heating pattern for some other days. Overheating was observed during July. A considerable effect of solar gain was observed both during winter and summer months. The room air temperature fluctuations were observed at a certain extent inside the concrete elements; higher in the non-load-bearing internal wall, followed by the load-bearing internal wall and lastly by the ceiling. The phenomenon of delayed thermal response of the concrete elements was observed. All internal concrete masses examined may be regarded as active elements and can contribute to the physically available heat storage potential of the building. The study provides deep insight into the thermal response of concrete elements in low-energy residential buildings, which should be considered when planning a flexible space heating energy use.

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Identifying important variables of energy use in low energy office building by using multivariate analysis

Energy and Buildings ◽

10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.10.031 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 91-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Natasa Djuric ◽

Vojislav Novakovic

Keyword(s):

Multivariate Analysis ◽

Energy Use ◽

Low Energy ◽

Office Building

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Using the Energy Intensity Ratio as an Assessment Tool for Near Term US Energy Strategy in Transportation and Petrochemicals

ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A, B, and C ◽

10.1115/es2011-54349 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Davion M. Hill ◽

Carey King

Keyword(s):

Intensity Ratio ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Intensity ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Economic Indicator ◽

Economic Conditions ◽

Energy Inputs ◽

Near Term ◽

The Cost ◽

Returns On Investment

Conventional fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal have historically provided reasonable financial returns on investment as well as energy returned on energy invested (EROEI), despite the fact that continuous financial and energy inputs are required to use these fuels. Besides EROEI, the energy intensity ratio (EIR) is another measure for energy use and economics. The EIR is the ratio of energy bought per dollar to the energy it takes to make a dollar in the economy. In this case we are considering the cost of petroleum per barrel, and therefore we are discussing EIRp or EIR of oil based upon price. The EIRp is related to historical economical data and conclusions will be drawn about the value of EIRp as an economic indicator. Then, EIRp will be used as a tool to demonstrate the value of shifting energy resources from petroleum to alternatives, specifically for transportation and petrochemicals. The considerations for modern economic conditions as they compare to historical economic conditions will be explained, and the viability of policy and alternative technological transportation scenarios will be described in terms of EIRp and its relationship to vehicle miles travelled.

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Design for Deconstruction in the Design Process: State of the Art

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings8110150 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 150 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jouri Kanters

Keyword(s):

Design Process ◽

Building Materials ◽

Energy Use ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Building Design ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Low Energy ◽

Embodied Energy ◽

Operation Phase ◽

State Of Art

Stricter building regulations have resulted in the construction of buildings with a low energy use during the operation phase. It has now become increasingly important to also look at the embodied energy, because it might, over the lifespan of the building, equal the energy used for operating the building. One way to decrease the embodied energy is to reuse building materials and components or to prepare the building for deconstruction; a term called design for deconstruction (DfD). While design for deconstruction has showed environmental, social, and economic benefits, hardly any building designed and built today is designed for deconstruction. The aim of this literature review is to understand the state-of-art of design for deconstruction and how it affects the design process. In most of the literature, general construction principles are specified that promote the design for deconstruction and focus on (a) the overall building design, (b) materials and connections, (c) construction and deconstruction phase, and (d) communication, competence, and knowledge. Furthermore, the reuse potential of specific building materials is discussed, as well as the available tools for DfD. Additionally, the current barriers for DfD as specified by the literature show lack of competence, regulations, and other related elements.

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Energy for Agriculture in the Twenty-first Century

Feeding a World Population of More Than Eight Billion People ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195113129.003.0011 ◽

1998 ◽

Author(s):

B. A. Stout

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Energy Use ◽

High Energy ◽

Need Satisfaction ◽

Social Progress ◽

Human Needs ◽

Adequate Food ◽

High Level

Adequate food supplies and a reasonable quality of life require energy —both noncommercial and commercial forms. Energy is a prime mover of economic growth and development. Although the linkages between energy and development are complex and still imperfectly understood, energy undoubtedly fuels economic development. And the developing countries where most of the population growth is occurring face an energy crisis of staggering proportions. An ample energy supply is not an automatic guarantee of smooth economic advancement, social progress, or stability, but it is, indisputably, their essential precondition. The future of our increasingly interdependent world will thus be very much influenced by the success or failure of the developing countries to ensure a sufficient and sustainable flow of energy (Smil and Knowland, 1980). The global inequity in the use of commercial fuels is familiar. About 1.5 billion people live in countries where the per capita consumption is less than 7 gigajoules (GJ) y-1, and another 1.1 billion consume only 7-20 GJ y -. Let’s translate this into more meaningful terms: 7 GJ is the equivalent of about 180 1 of diesel fuel —or about 0.5 1 per day to cover all human needs, such as food production and cooking, shelter, heating, and clothing. Millions and millions of rural inhabitants use virtually no commercial fuel. Clearly, no one can achieve a desirable quality of life (QOL) with so little energy available (Leach, 1979). Many studies have related GNP and energy use, but scholars debate the correlation with QOL. When one considers that energy is required to produce all the basic needs of humans, it seems apparent that a relationship as shown in Figure 5.1 may exist. Morrison (1978) carried this concept a step further by expressing QOL as a function of energy use. At low levels of energy use (quadrant III), he hypothesized that basic need satisfaction is linearly related to energy use. As the amount of energy increases (quadrant II), two paths were hypothesized. Option A projects a linear relationship between QOL and energy use, whereas option B suggests an optimum QOL at a moderately high level of energy use, followed by a deterioration of QOL due to environmental degradation at excessively high energy use rates.

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