Entropy and Sustainable Growth

The following sections are included:

• In tribute to Roger Maynard
• INTRODUCTION
• CONTENTS

The following sections are included:

• Three severe warnings
• Depletion of natural reserves or rising temperatures?
• From Malthus to the Club of Rome
• COP 21
• Should these three warnings be taken seriously?

In order to function, any living organism requires an energy supply which is fuel. If fuel runs out, life stops. This is the very core of Malthus’ theory, as well as the central element in the model used by the authors of The Limits to Growth. Such works recognize that our societies’ characteristics rely on the tendency to grow, implying an increasing use of natural resources. Over time, the exhaustion of these resources leads to the collapse of societies.

Nowadays, climate disruption represents a major concern. Some argue that this change is due to human activities, which implies that “natural” climate would be perfectly regulated and suffer no disruption. This is not the case, however. Temperature, concentrations of CO₂ and oxygen, as well as other parameters, have undergone considerable variations long before Man appeared on Earth. Variations are minimal, today, compared to those that occurred in the distant past.

As shown in detail in Chapter 3, the increasing rate of increase of CO₂ content in the atmosphere during recent decades is an exceptional situation in the history of the biosphere.

Based on the work of the IPCC, the COP 21 conclusions urge us to stop adding CO₂ to the atmosphere, a situation that might lead to a climate disaster. Having accepted this conclusion, we have applied the principles of thermodynamics to estimate its cost. Let us recall the stages of this detailed examination.

As stated by Clausius, energy and entropy are two distinct, but complementary and intrinsic, notions. As far as life is concerned, a study of the combination of the two is particularly essential in order to understand the limits of its development. These limits, which we are facing today, are as much about energy as about entropy. In order to emphasize how essential it is to deal simultaneously with the energy aspect and the entropy aspect, we propose, in the spirit of Clausius, that the International Energy Agency (the IEA) changes its name to the International Energy and Entropy Agency, to become the IAEA.

The following sections are included:

• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• INDEX