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Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity's Unappeasable Appetite for Energy
 
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Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity's Unappeasable Appetite for Energy (Hardcover)

by AW Crosby (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co. (4 Aug 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0393059359
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393059359
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 704,060 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
When the hearth fires started burning in the Palaeolithic, our ancestors broadened the exploitation of food and initiated an avalanche of change. Cooking is not often associated with drilling for oil but both are innovations that allow us to tap the sun's energy accumulated in organic matter. A story of slow evolutionary change and sharp revolutionary departures, "Children of the Sun" reveals how humanity's successes hinge directly on effective uses of sun energy and how humans have transformed the world and themselves in their quest for energy. But dwindling natural resources, global warming and environmental pollution all testify to the limits of our fossil-fuel civilisation. Although we haven't yet adopted a feasible alternative, our ingenuity and adaptability as a species give us hope.

About the Author
ALFRED W. CROSBY, a founder of the field of global history, is a professor emeritus of history, geography and American studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A little book offering much, 12 May 2006
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
There aren't many books written for everybody. This one fits squarely in that limited niche. After all, fuel, in one form or another, is a universal human demand. Since the science of energy use and climate change appears to miss many readers, Alfred Crosby has decided to lead readers along a smoother path. It's clear, as the fuel crisis grows more visible and corrective action is in such short supply, the more people understand what is happening, the better. Ignorance of our situation, in Crosby's view, is a major roadblock to prompting us to consider our options carefully.

In this highly readable account, he explains clearly our dependence on fossil fuels and the impact of that reliance. He lines out how human fuel use has progressed over the centuries. Our awareness of the true source of those fuels, our host star, came late. Almost too late. Our energy use has gone through a series of mighty jumps. At one time we used as much fuel as we could consume as food. From that balance we have progressed to using about 115 times as much energy as our ancestors did. How has this circumstance come about?

The sun, of course, is the foundation of all our energy. Ancient trees, covered over with layers of soil turned rock, became the coal foundation for industrial development. Ancient bodies through a similar process became oil, hence petroleum. Your electricity likely derives from those old trees, while your auto belches the last remains of those animal corpses. Even the replacement energy form of wind is solar driven. Nuclear power, especially the promised version of fusion, relies on our knowledge of mechanisms making sunlight. With oil manifestly running out, Crosby notes, more attention must be given to the alternatives. Throughout this account, the science underlying the author's message is manifest, yet he doesn't overwhelm the reader with its presence. The message remains that we must understand what underpins our energy gluttony and why it must be directed to new forms.

These new forms must be considered carefully. Crosby's major contribution in the discussion of energy and the replacements for declining oil and polluting coal is the costs of the alternatives. Hydrogen, so plentiful and clean, is expensive to produce and deliver. Nuclear fusion, once so promising, is a distant prospect. Crosby explains the fusion option perhaps better than any commentator to date. Atomic fission, already in place, has been beset by popular fears, yet is a major factor in France, which has run a safe nuclear programme for years. Nearly 80% of France's electricity is nuclear generated, while the US, the planet's overweening energy consumer, has barely achieved 20%.

He's forthright in his assessment of the issues, and vivid in his denunciation of our unconscious and unconscionable consumption. There are viable solutions, but we must be prepared to tolerate the costs and potential inconvenience of turning to them. We know how to make fuel-efficient engines, only the political will is lacking. SUVs must no longer be exempt from emission and economy standards. We must recognise our dependence on fossil fuels need not be so great. It is, Crosby argues, like a drug. Habits can be changed with a bit of effort. The alternatives are there to be tapped. He reminds us that we have endured change before. We can endure another if we but act. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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