• Overview
• Lessons
• Managing Resouces
• - Introduction
• - Step 1
• - Step 2
• Energy Efficiency
• - Introduction
• - Step 1
• - Step 2
• - For Your Consideration
• HELP

Lessons > Energy Efficiency > Step 1

Let's see what might happen in a more perfect world. If both energy efficiency and carbon sequestration rates were changed so that all machines (and humans) were some percentage more energy efficient per year and some percentage of atmospheric carbon were recaptured as well, how would energy supplies as well as energy needs change?

Predict how much more energy efficient we would have to be as well as how much more carbon recapturing would have to happen in order for the energy supply to meet demand through 2060. Record your prediction in the Data Table. Then change the "advanced options" parameters, carry through to year 2060, and record the results. Repeat twice more, trying different "advanced options" settings. When more energy is needed, maximize fossil fuel first. Answer the following:

1. Considering what you read in the text, how realistic was your prediction? What kinds of problems occur in the simulation?
2. Thinking about what you now know of resources, demographics, energy needs/demands, the environment, and your own way of living, which set of parameters would be most realistic and how could they best be implemented?