THE DEMOTECHNIC INDEX OF NATIONS, 1980 - 2018: A NORMALIZED MEASURE OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION

The Demotechnic Index (DI) is a non-dimensional metric that is the scalar multiple of energy consumption over and above that required for mere subsistence of a national population. Thus, the DI is a measure of energy efficiency that scales a country’s industrial energy consumption (called the total technological energy) and the energy required to meet the metabolic demand of the population (called the total metabolic energy). Tracking the DI of nations over time shows that the DI is sensitive to economic, social, and political events and has utility in telling stories about the past, and how world and regional events shaped the world we live in today. The multidecadal record of national DIs is a complex record documenting the evolution of total energy consumption, the interplay of different energy sources over time, interactions between humans and the environment, the impacts of economics, conflict, and social upheaval, and our energy choices on the well-being of nations and their people. Generally, the DI of nations increases over time. Highest DI values are associated with island states, petrostates, high latitude nations, and the industrialized north. The Demotechnic Index thus seems worthy of greater investigation that may yield insights to be intelligently considered and used to strategize future human progress.