Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Human ecology on spaceship earth -- 1.0. Introduction -- 1.01. Axiom 1 -- 1.02. Axiom 2 -- 1.03. Axiom 3 -- 1.04. Philosophical questions for the quest -- 1.1. Development of human ecology -- 1.11. Major ages in human history -- 1.12. The biosphere : "spaceship earth" -- 1.13. Limits to growth -- 1.2. Summary -- References -- 2. The unending quest for abundant energy -- 2.0. Historic perspective -- 2.1. Characteristics of an industrial nation -- 2.11. Flow of abundant energy -- 2.12. Capital and income energy resources -- 2.2. Exponential growth dynamics -- 2.21. Linear growth -- 2.22. Exponential growth -- 2.23. Doubling time -- 2.24. Exponential growth scenarios -- 2.25. Calculation of growth rates by regression analysis -- 2.3. Current growth in energy consumption -- 2.31. Trends in energy consumption -- 2.32. Energy intensity -- 2.33. Projections of energy intensities -- 2.34. Projections of future energy consumption -- 2.4. Summary -- References --

3. The fossil fuel era -- 3.0. Historic perspective -- 3.01. Fossil fuel consumption in the United States since 1900 -- 3.1. Fossil fuels -- 3.11. Coal -- 3.12. Heating value of coal -- 3.13. Crude oil -- 3.14. Natural gas -- 3.2. Forecast of U.S. energy consumption through 2025 -- 3.3. How long will fossil fuels last? -- 3.31. Estimation of fossil fuel reserves -- 3.32. The McKelvey diagram -- 3.33. Production of a finite resource -- 3.34. The logistic production curve method -- 3.4. Growth of fossil fuel demand for generation of electricity -- 3.5. Summary -- References -- 4. Sustainability of energy resources -- 4.0. Sustainable economic development -- 4.01. Indicators for sustainable energy development -- 4.02. Sustainable energy supply -- 4.1. Sustainability of electric energy demand -- 4.11. The electronic way of life -- 4.12. A continental superconducting grid -- 4.13. The hydrogen fuel era -- 4.2. Natural gas in sustainable energy supply -- 4.21. Petrochemical use of natural gas -- 4.22. Growth of natural gas consumption in the United States -- 4.23. Forecast of natural gas consumption through 2025 -- 4.24. Natural gas supply and reserves -- 4.3. Natural gas commitment for electric power generation -- 4.4. Sustainability of natural gas as an energy resource -- 4.5. Non-fossil energy resources -- 4.51. Growth of alternate (non-fossil) energy use -- 4.52. Forecast of Non-fossil energy supply -- 4.6. Summary -- References --

5. Environmental impact of energy consumption -- 5.0. Historic perspective -- 5.1. Basics of environmental impact -- 5.11. Relationship between magnitude and severity -- 5.12. Consequences of environmental threat -- 5.13. A hypothetical example of magnitude-severity analysis -- 5.2. The saga of the greenhouse effect -- 5.21. Components of the saga -- 5.3. Local air pollution from automobile exhaust -- 5.31. Environmental impact of smog -- 5.32. Nitrogen oxides in photochemical "smog" -- 5.33. Magnitude-severity aspects of nitrogen oxides -- 5.4. Value of air quality improvement in transportation -- 5.5. Some data for the Los Angeles air basin -- 5.6. Summary -- References -- 6. The nuclear energy era -- 6.0. Historic perspective -- 6.1. Basic elements of nuclear science -- 6.11. The atomic nucleus -- 6.12. Isotopic composition and abundance -- 6.13. Atomic mass -- 6.14. Equivalence of mass and energy -- 6.15. Binding energy -- 6.16. Nuclear stability -- 6.17. Types of radioactive decay -- 6.18. Properties of radionuclides -- 6.2. Basic elements of nuclear power -- 6.21. Nuclear fission -- 6.22. Available energy from uranium fuel -- 6.23. Nuclear power reactors -- 6.24. The light-water uranium fuel cycle -- 6.25. Generation IV nuclear reactors -- 6.26. Nuclear safety -- 6.27. Nuclear waste -- 6.3. The Oklo natural nuclear reactors on earth -- 6.4. Thermonuclear fusion -- 6.5. Summary -- References --

7. Renewable energy resources -- 7.0. Renewable energy -- 7.01. Types of renewable energy -- 7.02. Consumption of renewable energy -- 7.1. Hydroelectric power -- 7.2. Solar energy -- 7.21. The solar constant -- 7.22. Solar energy "reserves" -- 7.23. Solar electricity -- 7.3. Wind energy -- 7.31. Wind power rate -- 7.32. Wind turbine conversion efficiency -- 7.33. The wind energy resource -- 7.34. Estimated cost of wind power -- 7.4. Biomass energy -- 7.41. The solar biomass resource -- 7.42. Biomass conversion processes -- 7.43. Environmental aspects of bioenergy fuels -- 7.5. Other renewable resources -- 7.51. Tidal energy -- 7.52. Geothermal energy -- 7.6. Summary -- References -- 8. Hydrogen as an energy carrier -- 8.0. Historic perspective -- 8.01. Physical nature of hydrogen -- 8.02. Chemical nature of hydrogen -- 8.03. Energetics of hydrogen -- 8.1. Hydrogen and electricity as parallel energy carriers -- 8.11. Why hydrogen? -- 8.12. Competitive uses for hydrogen -- 8.2. The hydrogen energy fuel cycle -- 8.21. Hydrogen production -- 8.21a. A wee-bit of electrochemistry -- 8.22. hydrogen storage -- 8.23. Distribution of hydrogen -- 8.24. End uses for hydrogen fuel -- 8.25. Cost factors of hydrogen fuel -- 8.3. Summary -- References --

9. Hydrogen as a transportation fuel -- 9.0. Historic perspective -- 9.01. Hydrogen fuel in aviation -- 9.02. Hydrogen fuel in marine propulsion -- 9.1. Hydrogen fuel cells in vehicle transportation -- 9.11. Just what is a fuel cell? -- 9.12. A wee-bit of thermodynamics -- 9.13. Aspects of hydrogen as a transportation fuel -- 9.14. Hydrogen fuel vehicles by application type -- 9.2. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles -- 9.21. Characteristics of alternate fuels for fuel cells -- 9.22. Methanol as a fuel for fuel cells -- 9.23. Natural gas as a transportation fuel -- 9.3. What more is needed? -- 9.4. Summary -- References -- 10. The hydrogen fuel era -- 10.0. Perspective of an era -- 10.1. Potential for air quality improvement -- 10.11. Emission standards -- 10.12. Factors that effect vehicle emissions -- 10.13. History of California emission standards -- 10.2. Modeling health benefit from hydrogen fuel transportation -- 10.21. Model development for the three-city hydrogen air quality study -- 10.22. The metropolitan Tokyo air quality study -- 10.3. Electric energy requirement for hydrogen fuel -- 10.31. Extrapolation of historic transportation fuel data to 2010 -- 10.32. Growth of demand for hydrogen fuel and electric energy : 2010-2050 -- 10.4. Prospects for the future of sustainable energy supply -- 10.41. Potential distribution of energy resources -- 10.42. Possibilities to resolve the impasse -- 10.5. Wrap-up -- 10.6. Summary -- References.