TITLE:
Current energy crisis and its economic and environmental consequences: Intense human cooperation
AUTHORS:
Marcelo S. Sthel, José G. R. Tostes, Juliana R. Tavares
KEYWORDS:
Cooperation; Sustainability; Energy Crisis
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.5 No.2A,
February
27,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In this paper, the evolution of the
energy use by human society is discussed, relating the energy, environmental
and economic crisis, which appear to be closely linked. With the widespread use
of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution, a major environmental problem
was generated: the climate changes. The economic consequences of climate
changes are discussed in Stern (2006). Possible solutions to confront climate change are presented in the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report (2007). Some of these
solutions are based on technological development, while others do not directly
depend on the technology (paradigm shifts). Faced with the needs of a new paradigm
suggested by the IPCC, the recent concept of sustainable triangular cells (2012)
was introduced. The geometric representation of triangular cells, which can be
linked to form a regular hexagon, is used to demonstrate a sustainable society,
where human cooperation prevails. This model is in line with one of the pillars
of the Third Industrial Revolution, indicated by Rifkin, where an intense
collaboration between individuals in human society is suggested.