Brittle Power- PARTS 1-3 (+Notes) - Natural Capitalism Solutions

The notes for Chapter 2 appear on page 349 of this pdf.Chapter TwoWhat Can Go Wrong?This book analyzes those threats to national security which are expressedthrough the energy system. It deals especially with “the degree to which anenergy supply and distribution system is unable to meet end-use demand as aresult of an unanticipated event which disables components of the system.The kinds of events referred to are sudden shocks, rare and of large magnitude.”1 Later chapters will develop this theme in detail, including threatswhich cannot be foreseen. First, however, this chapter briefly surveys themain kinds of foreseeable threats that can affect various energy systems.Threats which can be identified in advance include• natural events;• aggressive physical acts (war, terrorism, and sabotage, all considered morefully in Chapter Seven);•failures of complex technical and economic systems; and• accidental failure or deliberate disruption of the devices that control thesesystems.Some of these disruptions have mainly a tangible physical or economiceffect; others, mainly psychological. Collectively, they offer a formidablearray of hazards to modern society. We now consider these four types of disruptionsin turn.Natural EventsPerhaps the most familiar threats to all aspects of daily life, including energysupply, are those commonly call “natural disasters”—though they may in fact be10