Sustainable Energy and Economics in an Aging Population (eBook)

Foreword 7
Acknowledgements 9
Endorsements 13
Four Book Blurbs 13
Contents 15
1 Introduction: ‘Paradigm Is a Tacit Agreement not to Ask Certain Questions’ (Allen 2003) 18
References 35
2 Scarcity, Promethean Technology, and Future Perspectives for Fossil Fuels and Uranium 37
2.1 Introduction 37
2.2 Reconsidering the Meaning of Scarcity for Sustainability 38
2.2.1 Reconsidering Scarcity in Relation to Limitless Wants 39
2.2.2 Reconsidering Scarcity in Relation to Resource Substation 39
2.2.3 Reconsidering Scarcity in Relation to Inter-generational and Intra-generational Equity 42
2.3 Energy Transformation, Promethean Technology and Reexamining the Transition of Energy and Materials During the Industrial Revolution 46
2.4 Coal, Oil, Natural Gas and Aviation Fuel: The Present Situation and Future Perspectives 50
2.4.1 Coal 50
2.4.2 Oil 52
2.4.3 Natural Gas 54
2.4.4 Aviation Fuel 56
2.4.5 The Future Perspectives for Shale Gas and Methane Hydrates 58
2.5 Uranium and Nuclear Technology 58
2.6 Conclusion 62
References 64
3 Credibility of Scientific Analysis, and Assessment of PV Systems and Ethanol Production 66
3.1 Introduction 66
3.2 MuSIASEM Applied to the Evaluation of PV Systems 67
3.3 Large-Scale Ethanol Production from Corn and Sugarcane Reconsidered: The Case of the United States and Brazil 79
3.4 Scientific Analysis and Assessment in the Era of Post-normal Science 83
3.5 Conclusion 87
References 89
4 Beyond the Conventional View: Reconsidering Money, Credit and Interest 93
4.1 Introduction 93
4.2 The Myth of Barter, Money and Credit 94
4.3 The Origin of Money Interest from the Perspective of Structural and Functional Decay 97
4.4 Debt Creation and Control: Miscellaneous Problems 102
4.5 Conclusion 108
References 110
5 Capital Interest, the Financial Sector and Debt Expansion: Toward a More Sustainable and Equitable World Order 112
5.1 Introduction 112
5.2 The Origin of Capital Interest: An Alternative Theory 113
5.3 Capital Interest: Forward-Looking Is Essential 117
5.4 The Financial Sector of Certain Manufacturing Companies: A Lucrative Business 119
5.5 The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund Reexamined 124
5.6 Running Solvency World: Who Can Create Debt? 127
5.7 Expansion of General Liquidity and the Unavoidable Repetition of Financial Instability 131
5.8 Conclusion 133
References 135
6 Aging Population, Vacant Dwellings and the Compatibility Problem Between Human and Exosomatic Populations 136
6.1 Introduction 136
6.2 The Aging Population of Japan 138
6.3 Vacant Dwellings in Japan 145
6.4 Conclusion 151
References 154
7 Reconsidering Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery in Japan: Searching for a Responsible Development Pathway 155
7.1 Introduction 155
7.2 Reconsidering Agriculture Versus Manufacturing 158
7.3 Japanese Agriculture and Its Basic Problems 160
7.4 Japanese Forestry and Its Basic Problems 166
7.5 Japanese Fishery and Its Basic Problems 172
7.6 Conclusion 177
References 178
8 Budget Deficit Problems and Reexamining Soddy’s Schemes of Compound and Simple Redemption 180
8.1 Introduction 180
8.2 The General Principles of Public Budget 182
8.3 Budget Deficit Problems of Japan: Expanding Special Account Budgets 183
8.4 Outstanding National Bond Problems of Japan 188
8.5 Reexamining Soddy’s Scheme of Virtual Capital Redemption 190
8.6 Conclusion 196
References 198
9 Collapsing Social Security Systems in Japan: Pensions, Medical Care and Elderly Nursing Care 199
9.1 Introduction 199
9.2 Japan’s Pension System 201
9.3 Japan’s Medical Care System 207
9.4 Japan’s Nursing Care System 209
9.5 Conclusion 212
References 215
10 Conclusion: An Alternative Vision for the Future of Japan and the World 216
References 222
Index 223