Chapter 1

How can modern biomass-to-energy conversion technologies mitigate poverty as compared to traditional biomass processing (heating/cooking)?

The current primary energy use is approximately 12 GTOE (Gigatonnes of oil equivalent); what is this expressed in EJ?

Which factors limit the RP ratio as a factor to predict how long a fossil energy will be available?

Explain in your own words the greenhouse effect and the human contribution to it.

Why is ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ the most important anthropogenic source of all greenhouse gases?

In 1977, Marchetti (1977) introduced a type of analysis of fuel source market penetration for the global energy market, characterized by the following equation (with $F$ being the fraction of the market penetrated): $$\frac{1}{F}\cdot \frac{dF}{dt}=\alpha \cdot (1-F)$$ a. What is $F$ as a function of $t$ ? b. Comment on the predictions made by this researcher concerning the current global energy source mix.

Explain why naturally occurring fires to some extent contribute to carbon sequestration.

What are the main sources of methane emissions? What can be done to reduce these?

What are the main sources of ${\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}$ emissions? What can be done to reduce these?

In which ways can mankind adapt to climate change impacts, and which roles can biomass play in such adaptations?