On the energetic cost of human societies: Energy consumption as an econometric index

According to thermodynamic considerations, complex systems may be comprehen sively described in terms of their energy balance. Data of energy consumpti on (total energy consumed and electricity consumption) per capita of over 1 20 countries showed that energy consumption is more reliable than the gross national product as an estimator for biological relevant indices of these countries. Total electric energy consumption of towns and cities suggests t hat human societies posses social optimization mechanisms, by which larger urban conglomerates are more efficient in using energy per inhabitant than smaller ones, except very large cities. Electric energy consumption of poli tical regions in industrialized countries is more uniform than in developin g countries. We propose that energy consumption as an econometric index may reflect socioeconomic development better than alternative indices.