The passage of time has connected the invention of the wheel with more than ten million miles of paved roads around the world today, and the capture of fire with six billion tons of carbon going up in smoke each year. Environmental sins and suffering are not new. Humans have always exploited the territories within reach. Most observers emphatically designate the present as a period of intense environmental degradation. Must human ingenuity always slash and burn the environment? Our question is whether the technology that has extended our reach can now also liberate the environment from human impact–and perhaps even transform the environment for the better. Well-established trajectories, raising the efficiency with which people use energy, land, water, and materials, can cut pollution and leave much more soil unturned.
The PHE combines our own analyses with those of others to characterize the trajectories of technological developments as they shape the evolution of the human environment. During the last few years, we have extended the scope of our analyses from macrobial life (plants and animals) to microbial life, and the question of whether macrobial and microbial life might somehow differ in their trajectories.
About the icon – Swans, MC Escher (1898 – 1972)
Publications about Technology and Human Environment
. Peak Human? Thoughts on the Evolution of the Enhancement of Human Performance (PDF). Pp. 20 in Program for the Human Environment, The Rockefeller University, 2023
. The Indo-Pacific in 2050: Alternative Energy Scenarios and Security [external link]. Real Clear Energy 2023
. Measuring Ambient Ocean Sound During the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF). Eos vol. 102, 2021 acoustics, Quiet Ocean Experiment
. Plant and Animal Diversity Is Declining, But What About Microbial Diversity? [external link]. Pp. 11 May in RealClear Science 2021 biodiversity
. How eDNA Could be a Cornerstone of the New Blue Economy (PDF). Maritime Executive 2021
. The Big Data Mindset [external link]. Issues in Science and Technology 2020
. Introducing the International Quiet Ocean Experiment [external link]. Pp. 6-9 in ECO - Environment, Coastal, Offshore 2019 Ocean Sound Special Issue
. The Potato and the Prius (PDF). 2018 Keynote address to the 2018 Potato Business Summit of the United Potato Growers of America, Orlando, FL, 10 January 2018.
. Nature Rebounds (PDF). The Breakthrough Journal 5, 2015 This article was originally delivered as a Long Now Foundation Seminar, San Francisco, 13 January 2015 and appeared under the title "The Return of Nature: How Technology Liberates the Environment" in the Journal of the Breakthrough Institute Spring 2015.
. We must make nature worthless [external link]. RealClearScience Sept. 18, 2015
. Using the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct to Evaluate Green Supply Chain Management: An Empirical Study of Taiwan’s Computer Industry [external link]. Pp. 2787-2803 in Sustainability vol. 7, 2015 environmental performance; code of conduct; self-assessment questionnaire; green supply chain management; EICC Code
. La liberazione dell’ambiente (autobiography-Italian version) [external link]. Pp. 112 in Di Renzo Editore 2014
. Broadening the scope of global change to include illumination and noise [external link]. Seed Magazine 2009
. Dematerialization: variety, caution, and persistence [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105 (35): 12774–12779, 2008 10.1073/pnas.0806099105 D Dematerialization, Consumption, carbon, cropland, energy, fertilizer, impact
. Earth at night – if the rest of the world lived like America (PDF). Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development 1 (1): 2007 energy, electric power
. The future environment for the energy business (PDF). Pp. 487–495 in APPEA Journal vol. Part 2, 2007 energy, energy business, decarbonization, ZEPPs, green strategy, carbon dioxide hydrogen, co2
. Balancing the life cycle impacts of notebook computers: Taiwan’s experience (PDF). Pp. 13-25 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling 48, 2006
. Will the Rest of the World Live Like America? (PDF). Technology in Society 26 (2004): 343–360, 2004 Zipf, golden ratio, inequality, sustainable development
. Science, Conquering Child of the Church (PDF). 2003 Draft prepared for Next 1000 Years meeting, 9-10 October 2003
. The Next 1000 Years (PDF). 2003 Discussion paper for April 2003 Rockefeller U workshop
. Modeling materials flow of waste concrete from construction and demolition wastes in Taiwan (PDF). Resources Policy 28 (2002): 39-47, 2003 Material flows; Construction and demolition waste; Waste concrete; Recycling; Dynamic modeling
. Maglevs and the Vision of St. Hubert (PDF). Pp. 175–182 in Challenges of a Changing Earth, . Heidelberg: Springer, 2002 (Proceedings of the Global Change Open Science Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 10-13 July 2001) maglev, St. Hubert, great restorations, farmlands, sea, forests, transportation
. Resources are Elastic Pp. 46–47 in Earth Matters 2000 a magazine published by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Winter 1999/2000. This issue contains many of the speeches that were presented at the "State of The Planet" conference held at Columbia in the Fall of 1999. natural resources
. The Great Reversal: Nature’s Chance to Restore Land and Sea Pp. 289–302 in Technology in Society vol. 22, 2000 Forests, land use, agriculture, fisheries, oceans
. Because the Brain Does Not Change, Technology Must Pp. 14–18 in Production Efficiencies: The Engineers' Report, American Association of Engineering Societies, Washington, D.C. 1999 Republished in: IEEE Aerospace and Electronic SYSTEMS 14(10):3-6, October 1999. The paper is based on a talk Jesse gave at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development meetings in New York in April 1999. Human behavior, decarbonization, agricultural land use
. Dis the Threat Industry Technological Forecasting and Society Change 62 (2): 119–120, 1999 threat
. Five Worthy Ways to Spend Large Amounts of Money for Research on Environment and Resources The Bridge 29 (3): 4–16, 1999 Research, funding, zepp, wood products, natural gas
. Industrial Ecology: A Coming of Age Story Pp. 14 in Resources vol. 130, 1998 Published by Resources for the Future, Washington, DC Industrial Ecology, Consumption
. Reasons to Worry About the Human Environment Journal of the Cosmos Club of Washington D.C 8 (1): 12, 1998 Republished in Technology in Society 21:217-231, 1999. climate and biodiversity, behavioral poisons, libido, depopulation, falling work, rejection of science, twilight of the west
. Resources and Environment in the 21st Century: Seeing Past the Phantoms Pp. 8–16 in World Energy Council Journal July, 1998 natural resources, land use, population, gdp, energy
. The Environment for Future Business Pollution Prevention Review 8 (1): 39–52, 1998 This article has been republished in the journal Environmental Regulation and Permitting 9(2):251-62, 1999. business, efficiency, energy, decarbonization, agricultural yields, water use, material flows
. Elektron: Electrical Systems in Retrospect and Prospect Pp. 110–134 in Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment, . Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997 Also appeared in Daedalus 125(3):139-169, Summer 1996. energy, electric power
. Environmental trends (PDF). Issues in Science and Technology 13 (2): 78–81, 1997 energy, agriculture, water, materials, population
. Industrial Ecology: Some Directions for Research With the Vishnu Group, The Rockefeller University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 1997 Industrial ecology, dematerialization, material substitution, economics, zero emission, materials, life cycle, recycling
. The Liberation of the Environment (PDF). Pp. 1-13 in Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment, . Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1997 An earlier version was published by The Collegium Budapest, Budapest, Hungary, A krnyezet felszabadtasa (The Liberation of the Environment, in Hungarian) Magyar Tudomany CII(2):164-171, 1995. Also appeared in Portuguese, A Liberacao do Meio Ambiente, Tecbahia 12(2):29-41, 1997 energy, agriculture, water, materials, population, technology innovation, diffusion, land use, carbon, dematerialization, natural resources
. Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment [external link]. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997 Also appeared as special issue, "The Liberation of the Environment,"Daedalus 125(3):1-17, 1996. energy, agriculture, water, materials, population, technology innovation, diffusion, land use, carbon, dematerialization, natural resources
. The Virtual Ecology of Industry Journal of Industrial Ecology 1 (1): 10–11, 1997 Industrial ecology
. Can Technology Spare the Earth? Am Sci 84 (2): 166–178, 1996 Republished in Current Perspectives in Geology, Fourth Edition, Michael McKinney, Robert L. Tolliver, Parri Shariff, eds., Wadsworth, Boston, MA, 1998. Industrial ecology, dematerialization, material substitution, economics, zero emission, materials, life cycle, decarbonization
. The Environment Since 1970 Consequences: The Nature and Implications of Environmental Change 1 (3): 2–15, 1995 energy, agriculture, water, materials, population, technology innovation, diffusion, land use, carbon, dematerialization, natural resources, environmental
. Working Less and Living Longer: Long-Term Trends in Working Time and Time Budgets Pp. 113–131 in Technological Forecasting and Social Change vol. 50, 1995 Labor, longevity, population
. Directions for environmental technologies (PDF). Technology in Society 16 (2): 139–154, 1994 Also in Impresa Ambiente 4:8-16, 1994 (in Italian). environmental technologies, decarbonization, carbon dioxide, co2
. 2020 vision (PDF). The Sciences 33 (6): 14–19, 1993 also Published in Science and Technology for Eight Billion People, Europe's Responsibility, P.H Mettler, ed., New Europe Publications, London, pp. 307-319, 1995. population, land use, forestry, agriculture
. Chernobyl After Perestroika: Reflections on a Recent Visit Pp. 187–198 in Technology in Society vol. 14, 1992 nuclear power, soviet union
. Industrial ecology: Reflections on a colloquium [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 89 (3): 879–884, 1992 Industrial ecology
. Verification of International Environmental Agreements Pp. 1–43 in Annual Review of Energy and the Environment vol. 17, 1992 environmental law, monitoring, compliance, regime
. Social and institutional barriers to reducing CO2 emissions (PDF). Pp. 513-533 in Limiting the Greenhouse Effect, G Pearman (ed), Wiley, Chichester 1992
. Political fallout: What fate awaits Chernobyl in the new world order? (PDF). Pp. 16–21 in The Sciences vol. 81, 1991 nuclear power, soviet union
. Technology and environment [external link]. National Academy, Washington DC 1989 energy, agriculture, water, materials, population, technology innovation, diffusion, land use, decarbonization, dematerialization, natural resources
. Technology and environment: An overview (PDF). Pp. 1-21 in JH Ausubel and HE Sladovich (eds.), Technology and Environment, National Academy, Washington DC 1989 energy, agriculture, water, materials, population, technology innovation, diffusion, land use, decarbonization, dematerialization, natural resources
. A note on the population 50 years hence [external link]. IIASA Working Paper 81-120. Published also as How many will survive the next fifty years? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 2(1)118–119, 1982. doi: 10.2307/3323656. population, logistic curve