Transition Engineering-Building a Sustainable Future

1 The Mega-Problems of Unsustainability
1.1 Introduction: The Mega-Problems
1.2 The Problem with Sustainable Development: It Isn’t Working
1.3 Unsustainable Pollution: Global Warming and Climate Change
1.4 Oil Supply and Peak Oil
1.5 Discussion
2 Problems of Unsustainability
2.1 Review of Sustainability Principles
2.2 Problems of Carrying Capacity and Resource Constraints
2.3 Water and Land Requirements for Energy Production
2.4 The Problems of Mineral Resource Depletion and Issues with Recycling
2.5 Discussion
3 Complexity and Communication
3.1 Energy System Data and Communication
3.2 Future Energy Scenarios and Pathways
3.3 Corporate Responsibility
3.4 Positive Approach to Difficult Problems
3.5 Discussion
4 Transition Engineering
4.1 Defining the System and the InTIME Approach
4.2 Step 1: Study History
4.3 Step 2: Take Stock
4.4 Step 3: Explore the Future
4.5 Step 4: Time Travel
4.6 Step 5: Backcast and Trigger
4.7 Step 6: Down-Shift Project
4.8 Step 7: System Transition
4.9 Discussion
5 InTIME Models and Methods
5.1 The InTIME Workflow Structure
5.2 Feedback Control Theory and Anthropogenic System Dynamics
5.3 Development Vector Analysis
5.4 Strategic Analysis of Complex Systems
5.5 The Matrix Game
5.6 Discussion
6 Economic Decision Support
6.1 Cost of Energy Production
6.2 Environmental Costs
6.3 Conventional Financial Analysis
6.4 Discussion
6.4.1 The Emperor’s New Clothes
7 Transition Economics: Balancing Costs and Benefits
7.1 Biophysical Economics
7.2 Transition Economics and Financial Analysis
7.3 Discussion
7.3.1 Low-Hanging Fruit
8 Conclusion and Discussion
8.1 The Big Do
8.2 The Final Story: Cassandra
References
Index