Abstract

Pattern of Development: Costs versus Needs

Civilization today is built upon energy consumption. Every man can now get basic necessities very easily and can devote most of his time to other purposes. The relationship between energy consumption and living standards is very close. In the United States the total energy consumed is about 8 tons of coal per year per head. Today for the first time in history an intensive effort is being made to raise standards of living all over the world. But raising standards of living is dependent on technical development, and technical development is dependent on the consumption of coal. But if people really go in for a program to give the whole world an income of $2,000 per head, available coal deposits will not last twenty years. Atomic energy, therefore, seems to be the only alternative to a declining standard of living for the world.