The whole universe follows the same law, where movements are always from concentrated (rich) energies to diluted (poor) energies. However, many of our daily activities seem to follow the opposite law, bringing energy from diluted to concentrated areas. As a good example is the heat removed from the inside cool refrigerator to the outside warm kitchen. In order to obey the universal law, an energy need to be added to the pump of the refrigerant. Carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere are the result of generating this energy by burning natural resources, instead of using the free endless natural energies.
In this consumer-based economy, consumer spending is seen as the "engine" and the "driving force" of economic growth. Using a general equation of transport phenomena, a new equation describing consumer spending is introduced in this book as a competition between a driving force and a resistance for spending. Based on this new definition, marketing and advertisement enhance the driving force for spending while the credit card role is to hinder the resistance due to the income. Because of the industrialization and the consumer’s economy, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted every year started to increase sharply from the year 1950.
In order to increase consumers spending, the strategy and the target of marketing and advertisement departments of many companies is to make us link happiness to comfort and pleasures. A simple case study, based on available data of the year 2011, shows that marketing and credit cards could have increased the energy consumption by 12.3% and added about 1.1 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The recent scientific data from climate change conference in Paris seem to tell us that lifestyle and behavioral changes are crucial to avoid more severe consequences of global warming. For example, if one billion households worldwide could save an amount of energy equivalent to one 60 Watt-bulb, the resulting reduction of the total amount of carbon dioxide sent to the atmosphere could represent 3.5% of the total amount needed to be reduced in order to stay in the ceiling of 2C by 2050. The challenge today is to redefine happiness away from consumption in order to avoid more severe natural disasters. Some people are already introducing the new "minimalist" life style in order to depend less on consumption. Unlike comfort, discomfort is seen as crucial to our pursuit of genuine happiness.
Table of Contents
Introduction to the book
1 Dynamic Worlds & The Universal Law
2 The Water Cycle and Natural Energies
3 Natural Resources Based Human Energy
4 Marketing, Credit Card and Consumer Spending
5 Consumer Economy and Global Warming
6 From Natural Resources to Natural Energies
7 Energy Conservation and Happiness
8 Conclusion
Objectives & Research Topics
This book investigates the relationship between human economic activities, consumer behavior, and environmental degradation. By applying transport phenomena and the laws of thermodynamics to consumer spending, the author seeks to quantify how marketing and credit systems accelerate the consumption of natural resources, thereby driving global warming and proposing a shift toward minimalist lifestyles and altruism as a solution.
- The application of the second law of thermodynamics to human economic systems.
- The role of marketing and credit cards as "driving forces" for overconsumption.
- Estimation of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from consumer spending habits.
- The impact of behavioral changes and energy conservation on global climate targets.
- The philosophy of redefining happiness beyond material comfort to achieve sustainability.
Excerpt from the book
3 Natural Resources Based Human Energy
Unlike nature, scientists find different ways to get around the universal law without any violation. On daily basis, we take elevators from low altitude (poor) to high altitude (rich). We switch on light to go from darkness (poor) to brightness (rich). We drive cars and planes from rest (poor) to high speed (rich). A refrigerator is utilized in this book in order to illustrate how to get around the universal law and what is the price to pay for it. During summer time, our ancestors used to cool the food in the kitchen by covering it with wet towel. The food was kept fresh because the endothermic evaporation process takes heat from the food. Nowadays, all homes have refrigerators in the kitchen. The question is how to remove heat from the cold (poor) space of the refrigerator to the warmer (rich) kitchen by respecting the second law of thermodynamics. The answer is called: The refrigeration cycle.
There are four important parts of a refrigerator: compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator. In this cycle, a refrigerant, like Freon, acts the medium for transfer of heat. Freon gas passes through all these parts continuously in the form of a cycle and undergoes various phases. After the expansion valve (figure 3), the refrigerant cools down as the pressure decreases and its temperature becomes lower than the temperature inside the refrigerator. The heat is then removed from the refrigerator respecting the second law of thermodynamics. It seems like the refrigerant makes the refrigerator feel warmer than the kitchen and give part of its heat. In conclusion, the cold (poor) space inside the refrigerator gets colder (poorer) and the warm (rich) kitchen becomes warmer (richer).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction to the book: This chapter introduces the core concept of the universal law of energy movement and establishes the premise that human economic systems are defying natural energetic flows, leading to carbon emissions.
1 Dynamic Worlds & The Universal Law: The author defines the movement of all systems in the universe as a transition from concentrated to diluted energy, regulated by resistance and driving forces.
2 The Water Cycle and Natural Energies: This chapter analyzes natural phenomena like evaporation, wind, and precipitation to illustrate the efficient use of free natural energies.
3 Natural Resources Based Human Energy: By using the refrigerator as a case study, the author explains how human energy requires external inputs to defy thermodynamic laws, often through the combustion of resources.
4 Marketing, Credit Card and Consumer Spending: The text models consumer spending as a competitive system where marketing and credit cards act to lower the resistance against spending.
5 Consumer Economy and Global Warming: This chapter links the growth of consumer-driven economies to the sharp increase in global energy consumption and CO2 emissions since 1950.
6 From Natural Resources to Natural Energies: The author examines the evidence for global warming and the limitations of proposed technical solutions like carbon capture and storage.
7 Energy Conservation and Happiness: This chapter explores the potential of individual energy conservation and argues that a shift toward minimalism and altruism is essential for genuine happiness.
8 Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, asserting that a redefinition of happiness away from material consumption is necessary to avoid environmental disaster.
Keywords
Thermodynamics, Global Warming, Consumer Spending, Carbon Dioxide, Marketing, Credit Cards, Energy Conservation, Minimalism, Altruism, Natural Energies, Sustainability, Economic Growth, Refrigeration Cycle, Climate Change, Environmental Impact
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core premise of this work?
The work argues that human economic activities currently violate the natural thermodynamic law of energy distribution, leading to excessive consumption of natural resources and environmental damage.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The book bridges thermodynamics, consumer economics, marketing strategy, and climate science to address the roots of modern overconsumption.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to quantify how marketing and artificial credit systems drive economic growth at the cost of the environment and to demonstrate how lifestyle changes can mitigate this impact.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses transport phenomena equations and thermodynamic principles as analogies to describe and predict consumer behavior and energy usage.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body treats the natural water cycle, the mechanics of refrigerators as a metaphor for human consumption, the influence of advertising on impulse buying, and the scientific data regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
Which keywords define this work?
Core keywords include thermodynamics, consumer economy, global warming, credit debt, energy conservation, and minimalist lifestyle.
How does the book categorize credit cards?
Credit cards are categorized as an artificial mechanism that lowers the "resistance" to spending, falsely boosting perceived income and leading to overconsumption.
What role does the "refrigerator" play in the author's argument?
The refrigerator serves as an engineering case study to illustrate how moving energy from "poor" (cold) to "rich" (warm) areas requires external human energy, which, when derived from fossil fuels, contributes to climate change.
What solution does the author propose for global warming?
The author proposes that technological fixes alone are insufficient and that humanity must adopt a minimalist lifestyle and cultivate altruism to reduce energy demand.
- Citar trabajo
- Zin Eddine Dadach (Autor), 2018, The Universal Law, Consumer Economy and Global Warming, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/417376
