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Based on the ratio of human power consumption to global net primary production by photosynthesis (not necessarily the best standard, but interesting) we're roughly a Type 0.15 civilisation at present. That's close enough to 1.0 to scare me, especially when I hear talk of chewing up more biosphere to make fuel.
The Kardashev scale is logarithmic with a base of 10^10... So, if you put the "Type 1" at total power output = total photosynthetic capacity, 15% capacity is "Type 0.92".

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Oct 16th, 2006 at 04:09:32 AM EST
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Ah! A logarithmic scaling does make more sense. I see that this extension by Sagan, though.

Definitely uncomfortably close to "1.0", though the power level would be no problem if the collection and dissipation weren't being done on Earth.

(If I were doing the numbers more seriously, I'd start by looking at total solar input power and total radiative heat dissipation capacity. To look at a silly but physically sound possibility, however, it is possible to dump substantially more heat from a planet than can be radiated from it by a black surface at its ambient temperatures. The trick, of course, is refrigeration.)

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by technopolitical on Mon Oct 16th, 2006 at 04:29:26 PM EST
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