From inside the book

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 2-1 - Nevertheless, the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate.
Page 8-5 - The United States faces major energy-related challenges as it enters the twenty-first century Our economic well-being depends on reliable, affordable supplies of energy. Our environmental well-being — from improving urban air quality to abating the risk of global warming — requires a mix of energy sources that emits less carbon dioxide and other pollutants than today 's mix does.
Page 2-1 - Our ability to quantify the human influence on global climate is currently limited because the expected signal is still emerging from the noise of natural variability, and because there are uncertainties in key factors. These include the magnitude and patterns of...
Page 1-28 - Economic studies have found that there are many potential policies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions for which the total benefits outweigh the total costs. For the United States in particular, sound economic analysis shows that there are policy options that would slow climate change without harming American living standards, and these measures may in fact improve US productivity...
Page xix - Energy: The capacity for doing work as measured by the capability of doing work (potential energy) or the conversion of this capability to motion (kinetic energy). Energy has several forms, some of which are easily convertible and can be changed to another form useful for work. Most of the world's convertible energy comes from fossil fuels that are burned to produce heat that is then used as a transfer medium to mechanical or other means in order to accomplish tasks. Electrical energy is usually...
Page xviii - Combined Cycle: An electric generating technology in which electricity is produced from otherwise lost waste heat exiting from one or more gas (combustion) turbines. The exiting heat is routed to a conventional boiler or to a heat recovery steam generator for utilization by a steam turbine in the production of electricity. Such designs increase the efficiency of the electric generating unit.
Page xxi - An installation that manufactures finished petroleum products from crude oil, unfinished oils, natural gas liquids, other hydrocarbons, and alcohol. Renewable Energy: Energy obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible (unlike, for example, the fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply). Renewable sources of energy include wood, waste, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy.
Page 1-60 - EngineeringEconomic Studies of Energy Technologies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Opportunities and Challenges," Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 23: 287-385.
Page 8-5 - States faces major energy-related challenges as it enters the twenty-first century. Our economic well-being depends on reliable, affordable supplies of energy. Our environmental well-being — from improving urban air quality to abating the risk of global warming — requires a mix of energy sources that emits less carbon dioxide and other pollutants than today's mix does. Our national security requires secure supplies of oil or alternatives to it, as well as prevention of nuclear proliferation....

Bibliographic information