Health Effects Of Exposure To Indoor Smoke

indoors smoke
Exposure to indoor air pollution from the combustion of solid fuels has been implicated, with varying degrees of evidence, as a causal agent of several diseases in developing countries. In a review of the epidemiological evidence for the health effects of indoor smoke from solid fuels, Bruce et al. concluded that, despite some methodological limitations, epidemiological studies provide compelling evidence of causality for acute respiratory infections (ARI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is reinforced by experimental data, studies of pathogenesis, and indirect evidence from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and ambient air pollution studies. (more…)

Global Energy Consumption & Energy Demand in Electricity and Transportation

global energy demand
Global energy consumption in the last half century has increased very rapidly and is expected to continue to grow over the next 50 years. However, we expect to see significant differences between the last 50 years and the next. The past increase was stimulated by relatively “cheap” fossil fuels and increased rates of industrialization in North America, Europe, and Japan; yet while energy consumption in these countries continues to increase, additional factors are making the picture for the next 50 years more complex. These additional complicating factors include the very rapid increase fuel economy in energy use in China and India (countries representing about a third of the world’s population); the expected depletion of oil resources in the not-too-distant future; and the effect of human activities on global climate change. (more…)

Household Fuel Use Patterns In Developing Countries

Indoor air quality (IAQ) research deals with the presence, levels, health effects, and control of physical, chemical, and biological factors in indoor environments, including homes, workplaces, and vehicles. IAQ research in industrialized countries has examined hundreds of specific factors (e.g., temperature, various chemicals, and mold), sources of pollution environment (e.g., environmental tobacco smoke, occupational factors, consumer cleaning products, and moisture), and control technologies (e.g., ventilation). (more…)

Income Tax and Energy Supply: Tax Codes Credit for Energy Production

income tax energy
Various provisions in the federal income tax treat energy producers more or less favorably than other businesses. By changing the after-tax rate of return on investments in the energy sector, the Tax Code may alter the long-run supply of specific types of energy.

In general, the income of all participants in the energy sector is subject to income tax of one form or another. Two notable exceptions arise in the generation and sale of electricity. Governmental agencies (such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Bonneville Power Administration, and municipally owned power companies) account for approximately 14 percent of the electricity sold in the United States. (more…)

Human Exposure To Indoor Smoke From Solid Fuels

smoke solid fuels
Exposure to air pollutants and air pollution problem are very high in indoor environments in developing countries. Smith has estimated that at the aggregate level (i.e., without accounting for particle size, chemical composition, and source), approximately 80% of total global exposure to airborne particulate matter occurs indoors in developing nations. Details of exposure for various household members, and the roles of both pollution and behavior (e.g., location with respect to stove and activities), have been studied and evaluated using new tools and technology. (more…)

Wind Turbines Renewable Energy Generators

Wind Turbines Renewable
Renewable energy generators are devices that convert energy from its original form in the renewable energy source into electricity. Renewable energy generators that are most likely to be found in hybrid energy systems include wind turbines and photovoltaic panels. Some hybrid energy systems use hydroelectric generators, biomass fueled generators, or fuel cells. It should be noted that many renewable energy generators include rotating electrical machines acting in the generating mode, which is also called a generator. It should be clear from the context what is meant. (more…)

Mechanical Pulp Paper Production

Most discussions of energy use in paper production and papermaking are confusing because of a failure to define exactly what is meant by energy. It is important to keep track of the form in which energy is used. The major inputs to a paper mill are wood, purchased energy in the form of electricity and fossil fuels, and water. Some components of the wood are used as a raw material and some as by-product fuel. What the industry generally reports is the process energy use at the mill, which is the sum of the purchased energy and the process by-product energy (part of the energy originally in the wood) that is used. (more…)

Chemical Pulp Paper Production

More than 48% of the raw material fiber used for paper production (chemical pulp or mechanical pulp) in the United States in 2002 was recovered or reclaimed, with recovered paper contributing 37.7% and wood residues 10.6%. The total has been more or less constant, with the percentage of recovered paper increasing and that of wood residues declining recently due to their increased use in oriented strand board and composite panels. Primary fibers are a renewable, domestic resource, much of which is currently supplied by tree plantations. Short-rotation forestry can be used to further increase the productivity of these plantations. (more…)

Technology Energy Efficiency: Changes and Renewable Sources

Although technology change (usually involving an improvement in energy efficiency) is not inherently a geographic process, it does not occur uniformly over geographic space. Consequently, mathematical modeling and behavioral and innovation diffusion studies by geographers have improved our understanding of the pervasive phenomenon of technology energy efficiency change in energy markets. Similarly, creative government policies in Germany since 1990 have led to a faster rate of adoption of renewable energy sources, compared to the United States. (more…)

The Growing Scarcity of Fossil Fuels

From prehistory until the Industrial Revolution, most energy sources used by humans were localized (i.e., available within 5–10 miles of end users). Energy sources included draft animals, human slaves, and renewable sources such as biomass (wood and wastes), water mills, and wind power. Following the onset of the Industrial Revolution, with advancements in transportation technology and increased rates of deforestation in many regions, societies increasingly relied on long-distance shipments of coal, wood, and eventually oil, natural gas, and electric power. (more…)

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