Summary:
The U.S. Department of Energy released an assessment of the world's future fuel situation known as the International Energy Outlook (IEO) in 2013. The IEO's projections are for the year 2040, and they take into account current trends in energy production and consumption in order to predict the world's future energy system. One of the most important trends noted by the IEO is the world's rigid dependance on fossil fuels, which is not going away soon according to their projections. In fact, the demand for fossil fuels will only be greater due to the developing world's rapid industrialization and increasing demand for motor vehicles. Even as industrialized nations turn from coal to natural gas in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the developing world increasingly exploits coal as an energy resource. Greenhouse gas emissions will soar, and climate change will be even less amenable. Furthermore, the continuing predominance of fossil fuels will lead to companies scavenging for supplies in "unconventional" sources. It is considerably harder to access unconventional fuels, but the fuel companies will just turn to different drilling techniques such as fracking in order to extract them in the future.
The U.S. is one of the few countries to have access to the technology required to extract fossil fuels from unconventional sources. Although this could be seen as an economic advantage over other nations in the global energy marketplace, U.S. leaders have to take into account the political tensions that may arise from this scenario. Not to mention the environmental consequences of increasing fossil fuel combustion. In fact, the IEO projects that the world will be burning 673 quadrillion BTUs of fossil fuels in 2040, which is a giant leap from the 440 quadrillion BTUs burned in 2010. All fossil fuels contribute to these numbers, but perhaps the most critical role is played by coal. From all of the fuels that emit CO2, the Department of Energy expects coal to be contributing the most to global warming by 2040. This is not hard to believe, since both China and India are increasing their consumption of coal as their populations grows uncontrollably. However, these projections are not accurate depictions of our world's future. Humanity still possesses the ability to press their governments into making changes in global energy behavior, which could deter the destructive dependence on fossil fuels that the IEO projects for 2040.
The U.S. is one of the few countries to have access to the technology required to extract fossil fuels from unconventional sources. Although this could be seen as an economic advantage over other nations in the global energy marketplace, U.S. leaders have to take into account the political tensions that may arise from this scenario. Not to mention the environmental consequences of increasing fossil fuel combustion. In fact, the IEO projects that the world will be burning 673 quadrillion BTUs of fossil fuels in 2040, which is a giant leap from the 440 quadrillion BTUs burned in 2010. All fossil fuels contribute to these numbers, but perhaps the most critical role is played by coal. From all of the fuels that emit CO2, the Department of Energy expects coal to be contributing the most to global warming by 2040. This is not hard to believe, since both China and India are increasing their consumption of coal as their populations grows uncontrollably. However, these projections are not accurate depictions of our world's future. Humanity still possesses the ability to press their governments into making changes in global energy behavior, which could deter the destructive dependence on fossil fuels that the IEO projects for 2040.
Reaction:
The U.S. Department of Energy makes it clear that a "fossil-fueled" future us in store for humanity if current trends in energy consumption persist. In fact, they project global energy use to rise by more than 50%. Based on this information, the worries held by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are more than justified. The IPCC believes that the world is running out of time to cut back on carbon emissions, but this will be an even harder task if the developing world continues to consume more coal and the industrialized world finds more unconventional fuels. I was under the belief that the U.S. was going to start investing in alternative energy, but this article teaches me that we have simply developed new techniques to exploit the same nonrenewable resources. The fuel companies that employ techniques such as "fracking" do not seem to care about climate change, and many U.S. leaders just see it as an opportunity to increases U.S. energy supplies and improve the nation's economic vitality. This approach of every nation for itself seems to be the biggest problem when trying to resolve global issues, which is why I believe that governments need to stop putting their economic ventures before global environmental issues. Hopefully, the world will prove the IEO assessment wrong by giving up their reliance on fossil fuels and shifting towards renewable sources of energy by 2040.
Vocabulary:
"Hydraulic fracturing"- (fracking) the forcing open of fissures in subterranean rocks by introducing liquid at high pressure, especially to extract oil or gas.
Jargon- special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Coal- solid combustible mixture of organic compounds with 30-98% carbon by weight, mixed with various amounts of water and small amounts of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. It forms in several stages as the remains of plants are subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years.
Energy- measure of the ability of a body or system to do work or produce a change, expressed usually in joules or kilowatt hours (kWh).
Nuclear- of, relating to, producing, or using energy that is created when the nuclei of atoms are split apart or joined together.
"Shale oil"- Synthetic crude oil that is extracted from oil shale by pyrolysis, or destructive distillation.
"British thermal unit (BTU)"- the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
"Fossil fuels"- products of partial or complete decomp of plants and animals; occurs as crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils as a result of exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over millions of years.
Geopolitics- the study of how geography and economics have an influence on politics and on the relations between nations.
Anthropogenic- (chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) caused or produced by humans.
Jargon- special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Coal- solid combustible mixture of organic compounds with 30-98% carbon by weight, mixed with various amounts of water and small amounts of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. It forms in several stages as the remains of plants are subjected to heat and pressure over millions of years.
Energy- measure of the ability of a body or system to do work or produce a change, expressed usually in joules or kilowatt hours (kWh).
Nuclear- of, relating to, producing, or using energy that is created when the nuclei of atoms are split apart or joined together.
"Shale oil"- Synthetic crude oil that is extracted from oil shale by pyrolysis, or destructive distillation.
"British thermal unit (BTU)"- the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
"Fossil fuels"- products of partial or complete decomp of plants and animals; occurs as crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils as a result of exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over millions of years.
Geopolitics- the study of how geography and economics have an influence on politics and on the relations between nations.
Anthropogenic- (chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) caused or produced by humans.