Epilogue
The Path Forward
For most of known history, humans have relied on renewable energy sources—sun, wind, geothermal energy, hydropower, and biomass—to fuel their activities. The low energy density of these sources and the direct utilization technologies served the primarily agrarian societies well until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution nearly three centuries ago. The Industrial Revolution, possibly the single most important event in the history of humankind, enabled societies to transition from a livelihood based on agriculture to one based on industry. The standard of living in industrial societies increased exponentially, and concomitantly these societies experienced an unprecedented growth in populations. These developments were ...
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