Energy Crisis Causes

1422 Words6 Pages
GLOBAL ENERGY CRISIS & ITS CAUSES 1. The Energy Crisis. The energy crisis is the concern that the world’s demands on the limited natural resources that are used to power industrial society are diminishing as the demand rises. These natural resources are in limited supply. While they do occur naturally, it can take hundreds of thousands of years to replenish the stores. Governments and concerned individuals are working to make the use of renewable resources a priority, and to lessen the irresponsible use of natural supplies through increased conservation. 2. The energy crisis is a broad and complex topic. Most people don’t feel connected to its reality unless the price of gas at the pump goes up or there are lines at the gas station. The energy…show more content…
How Real is the Energy Crisis? During election years there is a renewed debate on how “real” the energy crisis is in the world. One side will always say it is based on faulty science and politics; the other will say that the other side is basing their findings on junk science and political interests. The best way to sum up the reality of the energy crisis is that you cannot have growing demands on limited resources without eventually running out of the resource. That is just common sense. What is really at play in the discussion about how real the energy crisis is concerns the perception of responsibility for the future. There is no real energy crisis if you are not concerned about life after your time on Earth is gone. There is a very real energy crisis if you care about the future that the next generations will…show more content…
Global Perspective. From a global perspective, energy security rests on the availability of primary energy. Production of oil, gas and coal cannot keep up indefinitely with growing global demand. At some stage there must be a supply gap and a realization that if energy supplies can no longer grow, then traditional economic growth must cease. An increasing number of commentators believe we are very close to that point now. a. Peak Oil. All major oil fields throughout the world, with the exception of those in the Middle East, have now reached their peak. The Middle Eastern fields are by far the largest in the world, have been in operation since the 1940s and still contain over 60% of the world’s published reserves. The key to the timing of Peak Oil is the exact amount of recoverable oil that remains in the Middle East. When the world arrives at the production peak the price of oil will rise because production will no longer keep pace with demand. b. Transport. The immediate consequence of higher oil prices has been higher petrol and diesel prices at the pump. Consumers throughout the world have turned their anger on governments and demanded cuts in fuel duty, with haulers, fishermen and

More about Energy Crisis Causes

Open Document