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Energy and Human Labor

Energy and Human Labor. References. Giampietro, Mario; Pimentel, David (1990) Assessment of the energetics of human labor. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 32

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Energy and Human Labor

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  1. Energy and Human Labor

  2. References • Giampietro, Mario; Pimentel, David (1990) Assessment of the energetics of human labor. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 32 • Giampietro, Mario; Pimentel, David (1992) Energy Efficiency and Nutrition in Societies based on human labor. Energy of Food and Nutrition. 28 pp. 11-32. • Giampietro, Mario; Pimentel, David (1991) Energy Efficiency: assessing the interaction between humans and their environment. Ecological Economics 4, pp 117-144. • Ramos-Martin, Jesus; et al.() Why Catalonia will see its energy metabolism increas in the near future: An application of MuSIASEM • Giampietro, Mario; Mayumi, Kozo (2000) Multiple-Scale Integrated Assessment of Societal Metabolism: Introducing the Approach. Population and Environment 22(2), pp. 109-153.

  3. Approach • How to assess energetics of human labor? • concept energy efficiency in the assess. of human labor • Different Hierarchical levels • Individual levels (energy requirments) • Societal level • Ecological level • Different measurements • Monetary • Energetic

  4. Approach • Societal energy budget • Characteristics of different societies • Assessing technological change and „measuring improvement“ • Optimizing Energy Efficiency (trade-offs, interdependences) • Linking demographic, nutritional factors, etc. • integerate questions on ecological and individual level

  5. Systems Energy Analysis • Self-organizing systems able to maintain a certain level of complexity by continuous dissipation of energy • „Dissipative structure theory“ (Prigogine) • Humans invest applied power to alter ecosystems • direct: energy to generate applied power • Maintenance of the structures needed to produce • Flow of energy harvested (Energy input) is the return on human investment

  6. Definitions • Human Labor provides • Flow of applied power • Flow of Information • Direct applied power [N] • Conversion losses [η] • Conversion of AP to Work Done • Energy for Maintenance [M] • Cost for Maintenance Ratio: N/M [σ]

  7. Basic Model Environment: Ecosystem Applied Power Energy Input N…Direct Input M…Maintenance System: Society Energy spent in Self-Organization Generation of power applied outside N M

  8. Societies based on Human Labor • Agricultural, rural societies • Embodied Energy in human labor • Energy Costs allocated to human labor • EI = Joules consumed by the society in order to have human laborers • AP = joules of muscular power delivered by human society • EI / AP ... „Measure of Efficiency“ • Power generation cost

  9. Applied Power • Power • Labor charge; hours worked per year • Labor productivity (technological change) • Total Population • Sex ratio • Different power per unit time • Different metabolic rates • Non-working population • Reduces Applied Power • Age Structure

  10. Energy Input • Rural society based on manpower • Body size • Quality of diet • Exosomatic energy flows • Societies based on tech. Power • Consumption of exosomatic energy (fossil, nuc.) • Level of expenditure per capita • Standard of living

  11. Basic Model Environment: Ecosystem Applied Power Energy Input N…Direct Input M…Maintenance System: Society Energy spent in Self-Organization Generation of power applied outside N M

  12. Differences between societies • rural societies • EI/AP = level of expenditure per capita / level of labor charge x K (for a given population) • Reduce consumption levels • Increase Labor Charge  Work more hours • Power treshold • Importance of flow of applied power provided by human labor • Higher value of human labor but cheaper labor (standard of living) • More children,etc. • Most Human labor invested in agriculture • In High-Societies • Human labor provides flow of information

  13. Differences between societies • In industrial societies • Human labor provides flow of information • Technological improvements • Human labor is more expansive • More energy is needed for providing human laborers • More capitalization • High Applied Power and high complexity can only be sustained by high capitalization • E.g. Food Production

  14. Differences between societies • Depend on societal and technological level • Question of Scale and Time • Higher AP through technology or more human labor (time) – Power tresholds • „Economy of Scale“ • E.g. Storage • Cost of maintenance • Different Sectors? Allocation of laborers‘ time?

  15. MuSIASEM • Mulit-Scale Integrated Assessment of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism • Dynamic energy budget • Labor defined as „Human activity“ • „Useful Energy“

  16. Human Activity • Allocation of „Human activity“ (Time) • Maintenance, Reproduction, Non-Working Population, Governance • Total av. Time of Hum act • Leisure and social • Household • Paid Work • Agricultural, Service, Productive Sectors

  17. Questions • Labor Productivity and Time Allocation • gains invested in higher Energy flows • Rebound Effect • More leisure – Less Work in Productive Sector? • Increased Household Consumption • Shift to more manual work • Repair, maintenance

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