Energy and the Environment

Examine the tension between energy production and consumption and environmental conservation with the latest edition of this widely read text

In the newly revised Fourth Edition of Energy and the Environment, the authors deliver an insightful and expanded discussion on the central topics regarding the interaction between energy production, consumption, and environmental stewardship. The book explores every major form of energy technology, including fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear power, wrapping up with chapters on how energy usage affects our atmosphere, and the resulting global effects.

The latest edition includes new figures and tables that reflect the most recent numbers on conventional and renewable energy production and consumption. The history and current status of relevant U.S. and international governmental energy legislation is discussed along with the text. Readers will also find:

• A thorough introduction to the fundamentals of energy and energy use in industrial societies, including the forms of energy, scientific notation, and the principle of energy conservation
• A comprehensive exploration of fossil fuels, including petroleum, coal, and natural gas, along with their history, world production, and remaining future resources
• Discussion of the pros and cons of nuclear power, it’s rise in China, and it’s fall elsewhere, and a history of power plant accidents
• A practical discussion of heat engines, including their thermodynamics, energy content of fuels, and heat pumps and engines
• In-depth examinations of new innovations and rapidly increasing use of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass energy, along with updates on battery technology and alternative energy storage techniques
• Detailed discussions of the atmospheric effects of our energy usage on scales both local and global; reports from the International Panel on Climate Change; the carbon budget, carbon capture and storage, and geoengineering

Perfect for either graduate or upper-level undergraduate students of physics, environmental science, and engineering, Energy and the Environment is also an indispensable resource for anyone professionally or personally interested in climate change, energy policy, and energy conservation.

Robert A. Ristinen, PhD, deceased, was Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He served as Chair of the University’s Radiation Safety Committee and Chair of the University Energy Conservation Committee.

Jack J. Kraushaar, PhD, deceased, was Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He served on the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Committee, the Boulder County Energy Conservation Board, and on the University Energy Conservation Committee.

Jeffrey T. Brack, PhD, retired, was Senior Research Scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and in the High Energy Physics group at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, concentrating in Particle Astrophysics. He was a member of the international Pierre Auger Observatory Collaboration.

PREFACE

Table of Content

CHAPTER 1 – Energy Fundamentals, Energy Use in an Industrial Society

CHAPTER 2 – The Fossil Fuels

CHAPTER 3 – Heat Engines

CHAPTER 4 – Renewable Energy Sources I: Solar Energy

CHAPTER 5 – Renewable Energy Sources II: Alternatives

CHAPTER 6 – The Promise and Problems of Nuclear Energy

CHAPTER 7 – Energy Conservation

CHAPTER 8 – Transportation

CHAPTER 9 – Air Pollution

CHAPTER 10 – Global Effects

APPENDIX

ANSWERS TO SELECTED END-OF-CHAPTER PROBLEMS

INDEX

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