Energy Needed Essay -- Environment Oil Fossil Fuels Papers

Energy Needed As the world population soars, we as a global community are met with a need to fulfill the energy requirements of this increasing population. Probably no one is in complete agreement on how to accomplish this. The World Energy Conference has concluded that energy needs in 3 decades will be 75% higher than today. The popular concern over fuel consumption that was so prevalent following the 1970 oil crunches has gone by the wayside. This concern has recently been revived, but the action is still left to "other" people. One area of concern is the environmental impact of our consumption of fossil fuels. The use of these fuels are often blamed for global warming, however the reasons are still under much debate. We are generally looking to achieve better fuel efficiency. But with lowering fuel costs, sometimes this is not a priority. Political and economic interests tend to maintain the status quo. The 1970 oil shocks increased our fuel efficiency tremendously, but we still have a ways to go relative "to European countries or Japan"(Chase). The current energy mix is also an area for debate. This has changed throughout the past couple centuries--are we in the process of another transition, is a change necessary? Currently oil is the principle energy supplier, followed by coal and natural gas. Natural gas would seem poised to become the fuel of the 21st century with advantages over coal and oil and being more abundant than previously thought (Chase). The view of the World Energy Council and other organizations is to maintain the current trend, but shift reliance somewhat toward other fossil fuels like lignate or shale. With this scenario large technological or policy changes will not have to o ccur (Flavin and Lensse... ...p://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/infocard.html [11-13-96]. Flavin, Christopher. USA Today: Harnessing the Sun and Wind. Nov. 1995. Flavin, Christopher and Nicholas Lenssen. Beyond the Petroleum Age: Designing a Solar Economy. Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute, 1990. Flavin, Christopher and Niccholas Lenssen. Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994. Hoagland, William. Scientific American: Solar Energy. Sept. 1995. Kazloff, Keith Lee. Environment: Renewable Energy Technology: an urgent need, hard sell. November 1994. Matthews, W. Samuel. National Geographic: Is Our World Warming? Oct. 1990. Potts, M. The Mother Earth News: The Future of Solar is Now. Aug./Sept. 1995. United States Interagency Task Force on Solar Energy. Project Independence . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing, 1995. Energy Needed Essay -- Environment Oil Fossil Fuels Papers Energy Needed As the world population soars, we as a global community are met with a need to fulfill the energy requirements of this increasing population. Probably no one is in complete agreement on how to accomplish this. The World Energy Conference has concluded that energy needs in 3 decades will be 75% higher than today. The popular concern over fuel consumption that was so prevalent following the 1970 oil crunches has gone by the wayside. This concern has recently been revived, but the action is still left to "other" people. One area of concern is the environmental impact of our consumption of fossil fuels. The use of these fuels are often blamed for global warming, however the reasons are still under much debate. We are generally looking to achieve better fuel efficiency. But with lowering fuel costs, sometimes this is not a priority. Political and economic interests tend to maintain the status quo. The 1970 oil shocks increased our fuel efficiency tremendously, but we still have a ways to go relative "to European countries or Japan"(Chase). The current energy mix is also an area for debate. This has changed throughout the past couple centuries--are we in the process of another transition, is a change necessary? Currently oil is the principle energy supplier, followed by coal and natural gas. Natural gas would seem poised to become the fuel of the 21st century with advantages over coal and oil and being more abundant than previously thought (Chase). The view of the World Energy Council and other organizations is to maintain the current trend, but shift reliance somewhat toward other fossil fuels like lignate or shale. With this scenario large technological or policy changes will not have to o ccur (Flavin and Lensse... ...p://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/infocard.html [11-13-96]. Flavin, Christopher. USA Today: Harnessing the Sun and Wind. Nov. 1995. Flavin, Christopher and Nicholas Lenssen. Beyond the Petroleum Age: Designing a Solar Economy. Washington, D.C.: Worldwatch Institute, 1990. Flavin, Christopher and Niccholas Lenssen. Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994. Hoagland, William. Scientific American: Solar Energy. Sept. 1995. Kazloff, Keith Lee. Environment: Renewable Energy Technology: an urgent need, hard sell. November 1994. Matthews, W. Samuel. National Geographic: Is Our World Warming? Oct. 1990. Potts, M. The Mother Earth News: The Future of Solar is Now. Aug./Sept. 1995. United States Interagency Task Force on Solar Energy. Project Independence . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing, 1995.