Do we need a World Energy Collaboration?
Energy is a very important commodity in the world today and also in the foreseeable future. Productive society needs energy to sustain and grow. In fact you are more than likely reading this from an electronic device that not only takes energy to power, but the computer chips and encasing materials take energy to create and ship them to the market. Without energy the global farming output would not be able to meet the needs of even 1/2 of the worlds population. I think one can see the point; energy is a requirement for advanced society.
Energy can also be damaging to the environment: excess carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming, toxic waste, environmental disruption from mining activity, wildlife disruptions due to energy projects. No one energy source is free from some type of effect on the environment; some have broader effects than others.
The trend is showing that the world will require more energy as more countries emerge as developed nations and as population grows. World energy demand is expected to increase 56% from 2010 to 2040, according to the Energy Information Administration in the International Energy Outlook 2013. This equates to demand increasing to 820 quadrillion British thermal units in 2040 from 524 quadrillion in 2010. One quadrillion Btu is equal to 172 million barrels of crude oil.
According to nature.com nature journal, if we burned all the known fossil fuels the world temperature would rise by 18.78 degrees Centigrade due to carbon emissions. Using all Nuclear energy would amass large amounts of radioactive waste that we have not developed the technology to safeguard the environment as evidenced by the disaster at Fukishima. Renewables are viewed as cleaner options, but they still come with some environmental impacts, hydroelectric effects on rivers, quartz mining for the silicon used in PV solar, and so on. The point is that every energy source has an impact on the environment, some worse than others.
Since many renewable energy sources are "cleaner" they are the world's fastest-growing energy sources, increasing 2.5% per year. It is projected that fossil fuels will continue to supply nearly 80% of world energy use through 2040 driven by lower costs.
No single energy source can solve all the energy challenges of the world. To meet the challenges of the worlds growing energy needs, it is going to take a comprehensive approach. Our goal should be to develop a strategic plan to balance the carbon output, reduce the environmental impact while delivering the energy required. If a world energy organization could be brought together for such a focus, subsidies and infrastructure could be aligned to help the free market evolve to a cleaner and more efficient energy economy. Do we think it is possible to have global collaboration on such a scale?
Energy is a very important commodity in the world today and also in the foreseeable future. Productive society needs energy to sustain and grow. In fact you are more than likely reading this from an electronic device that not only takes energy to power, but the computer chips and encasing materials take energy to create and ship them to the market. Without energy the global farming output would not be able to meet the needs of even 1/2 of the worlds population. I think one can see the point; energy is a requirement for advanced society.
Energy can also be damaging to the environment: excess carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming, toxic waste, environmental disruption from mining activity, wildlife disruptions due to energy projects. No one energy source is free from some type of effect on the environment; some have broader effects than others.
The trend is showing that the world will require more energy as more countries emerge as developed nations and as population grows. World energy demand is expected to increase 56% from 2010 to 2040, according to the Energy Information Administration in the International Energy Outlook 2013. This equates to demand increasing to 820 quadrillion British thermal units in 2040 from 524 quadrillion in 2010. One quadrillion Btu is equal to 172 million barrels of crude oil.
According to nature.com nature journal, if we burned all the known fossil fuels the world temperature would rise by 18.78 degrees Centigrade due to carbon emissions. Using all Nuclear energy would amass large amounts of radioactive waste that we have not developed the technology to safeguard the environment as evidenced by the disaster at Fukishima. Renewables are viewed as cleaner options, but they still come with some environmental impacts, hydroelectric effects on rivers, quartz mining for the silicon used in PV solar, and so on. The point is that every energy source has an impact on the environment, some worse than others.
Since many renewable energy sources are "cleaner" they are the world's fastest-growing energy sources, increasing 2.5% per year. It is projected that fossil fuels will continue to supply nearly 80% of world energy use through 2040 driven by lower costs.
No single energy source can solve all the energy challenges of the world. To meet the challenges of the worlds growing energy needs, it is going to take a comprehensive approach. Our goal should be to develop a strategic plan to balance the carbon output, reduce the environmental impact while delivering the energy required. If a world energy organization could be brought together for such a focus, subsidies and infrastructure could be aligned to help the free market evolve to a cleaner and more efficient energy economy. Do we think it is possible to have global collaboration on such a scale?