Energy & Global Overview
Energy is an important ingredient in all phases of society. We live in a very interdependent world, and access to adequate and reliable energy resources is crucial for economic growth and for maintaining the quality of our lives. But current levels of energy consumption and production are not sustainable.
About 40% of the world’s energy comes from oil, and much of that goes to transportation uses. Oil prices are dependent as much upon new (or foreseen) discoveries as they are upon political events and situations around the world. The U.S., with 4.5% of the world’s population, consumes 24% of the world’s oil production per year; 66% of that oil is imported.
World energy consumption continues to rise, especially in the developing countries. Global demand for energy has tripled in the past 50 years and might triple again in the next 30 years. While much of this growth will come from the rapidly booming economies of China and India, many of the developed countries, especially those in Europe, are hoping to meet their energy needs by expanding the use of renewable sources
Major transformations are underway for the global energy sector, from growing electrification to the expansion of renewables, upheavals in oil production and globalization of natural gas markets. Across all regions and fuels, policy choices made by governments will determine the shape of the energy system of the future.
As a result, energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are up, with the power sector accounting for two-thirds of the growth in emissions. Oil demand increased by 1.3 per cent in 2018 and so has the demand for coal.
The energy industry is a big and growing industry that contains all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy. That includes: manufacturing, refining, extraction, and distribution. Having in mind that the modern society consumes a huge amount of energy, the energy industry is very important almost everywhere in the world.
In its entirety, the energy industry contains:
Electrical power industry;
Gas industry;
Petroleum industry;
Coal industry;
Renewable energy industry;
Coal industry
Every product that we use takes energy to work — from automobiles to food, buildings, appliances, etc. The global primary energy demand has risen by 50% since 1990. By 2035, the energy demand will probably be much higher than now. The world needs more energy, and we have to be aware of this.
Luckily, there are means to get plenty of clean energy without disturbing the planet’s climate and without having to be afraid that it will someday run out. Of course, you’ve heard about renewable energy — this is energy that can be cycled sustainably from self-replenishing sources like the sun, flowing water, wind, oceans’ waves and more.
According to the Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) from REN21, roughly a fifth of the world’s electrical power production now comes from renewable sources. To be more precise, in 2013 renewable energy accounted for 22% of the global energy mix, up from 21% in 2012 and 18% in 2007.
For the third consecutive year, global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and industry were nearly flat in 2016, rising only an estimated 0.2%, continuing to break away from the trend of 2.2% average growth during the previous decade. This slowing of emissions growth was due largely to declining coal use worldwide but also to improvements in energy efficiency and to increasing power generation from renewable energy sources.
Every year, the world uses 35 billion barrels of oil. This massive scale of fossil fuel dependence pollutes the earth, and it won’t last forever. On the other hand, we have abundant sun, water and wind, which are all renewable energy sources. So why don’t we exchange our fossil fuel dependence for an existence based only on renewables? Federico Rosei and Renzo Rosei describe the challenges.
Globally, coal production declined for the second year in a row. In 2016, additional countries committed to moving away from or phasing out coal for electricity generation (e.g., Canada, Finland, France, the Netherlands and the US state of Oregon) or to no longer financing coal use (e.g., Brazil’s development bank). Countering this trend, however, a number of countries announced plans to expand coal production and use.
This week at the Conscious Club we will write about all the different energy sources and their effects on the planet. The main topics will be:
Energy & Renewable Energies
The year 2016 saw several developments and ongoing trends that all have a bearing on renewable energy, including the continuation of comparatively low global fossil fuel prices; dramatic price reductions of several renewable energy technologies (especially solar PV and wind power); and a continued increase in attention to energy storage.
The wind and solar sectors are growing at an exponential rate, far faster than anyone had previously imagined. Prices for renewable power generation are plummeting, in many cases providing a cheaper alternative for utilities than traditional coal or natural gas plants. By 2020 It is estimated that approximately 12.5% of the world’s energy will be supplied by renewable sources and this will rapidly increase as the societal costs of a carbon-based energy system are exposed, and the many benefits of renewable energy are finally recognized. Several studies show that a 100% renewable energy system will be significantly cheaper than our current system, unlocking trillions in additional GDP while stimulating the economy through millions of new jobs and billions of dollars in avoided climate and health costs.
Energy & Storage
Since the discovery of electricity, we have sought effective methods to store that energy for use on demand. Over the last century, the energy storage industry has continued to evolve and adapt to changing energy requirements and advances in technology.
Energy storage systems provide a wide array of technological approaches to managing our power supply in order to create a more resilient energy infrastructure and bring cost savings to utilities and consumers.
Energy storage solutions will reduce the costs of connecting renewable energy sources to the grid and managing the variable output. This will enable the shift towards people opting for renewable energy sources, and in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well. Energy storage can serve as a substitute to natural gas generators and help combat the variable production through renewable energy resources.
Energy & Gas
Natural gas has been in the news a lot lately, being hailed as the solution to our energy problems on the one hand, and a potential environmental nightmare on the other.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel, though the global warming emissions from its combustion are much lower than those from coal or oil, but still is responsible for methane leakages, air and water pollution, use of land and much more.
Energy & Oil
Oil is one of the most crucial commodities in the world that you cannot live without. This is because it is used in almost all industries that require energy input such as motor vehicle industry, power generation, and other numerous sectors. Your car probably uses oil, and there are very few that use alternative sources of energy.
Because it is a fossil fuel, however, oil is a finite resource. There is the possibility that we may run out of it one day or be forced to ration how we use it.
Burning oil releases gases such as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions. These gases are very harmful to the ozone layer as their accumulation encourages its deterioration. Continued destroying of the ozone layer ultimately leads to global warming.
Energy & Electro Magnetic Fields (2-3-4-5G)
In daily life everybody is, to a greater or lesser degree, exposed to electromagnetic fields. Examples are the fields produced by kitchen appliances, radio transmitters and mobile phones.
Over the past 30 years, wireless communication systems have been increasingly used; the versatile use of new mobile phones and the emergence of all-pervasive wireless communication systems, such as 2-3-4-5G.
5G networks are being commercially deployed; they are a step toward increasing throughputs and huge amounts of data transferred every second and everywhere on the planet. They also bring new challenges for the EMF exposure management. This topic is faced with some challenging problems.
What do you do regarding more sustainable energy use? By tagging us with #theconsciouschallenge you can share your ideas!
Want to contribute to our Ecological Footprint Bible? Submit us your scientific articles! Mail us at info@theconsciouschallenge.org
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