The Initial Reaction of Panic towards the Energy Crisis - Essay Example

The initial reaction of panic towards the energy crisis has evolved into a more long-term perspective, with the acknowledgement that the problem is chronic and enduring. The warnings have been perennial; they have been voiced for well over 10 decades. For instance, the first major oil crisis occurred in 1973, as a result of the Yom Kippur War. 36% of the world’s oil was supplied by the Middle East countries at the time, as oil was more abundant and more cost-efficient to produce in those regions. Arab members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) utilised oil as a political weapon, as they attempted to exert pressure and influence on world powers to compel Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. They announced that they would no longer supply oil to nations that had supported Israel in its conflict with Syria and Egypt, which includes the United States and the Netherlands.  Fig.1 Shows the price of oil prices from 1973-2004 http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/pdf/pages/sec9_2.pdf As can be seen from Fig. 1, oil prices reached nearly $40 per barrel in 1980s. Although in the short-term 1973 only affected oil supplies, governments gradually became aware that other fossil fuel reserves are also limited and began to impose pricing restraints on these as well. The energy crisis we face today, however, has two critical aspects that merit attention and evaluation: the fact that it is a non-renewable supply and its environmental impact that fossil fuel has on the environment. In this essay I will explore how has the so-called crisis was brought forth, and the alternatives available to enable us to cope with this reality. FINITE SUPPLY-Non-renewable Resources  As shown in Fig. 3, we are currently using non-renewable energy sources, which are finite and will inevitably run out at some point. There are two (2) types of non-renewable, namely, (1) fossil fuel, which includes crude oil, coal, natural gases and (2) nuclear fuel. It may be worthy to note that there is a relatively long lasting supply of nuclear fuel and it does not produce any greenhouse gases. The waste, however, remains radioactive for a long time (100+ years). If the reaction is not contained and controlled properly, then the nuclear reduction could go out of control, as attested to by Chernobyl in 1986. Radioactive material could then escape into the environment. These energy sources are considered nonrenewable because they cannot be replenished in a short period of time. Renewable energy sources can be replenished naturally over a short period of time. Sooner or later, the rate of consumption of petroleum products would exceed the rate of discovery of new reserves. Once this stage is reached, the end of oil as a fuel is impending. Therefore, our current energy supplies are limited, and for the most part exhaustible. Further, the technologies for handling the extreme long term sources are poorly developed. This has led to an upsurge in the number of absurd forecasts. According to some forecasts, after A.D 2000, we will run out of fuel, electricity generation would cease, vehicular transport will not be possible anymore, and life as we know it now will come to an abrupt halt. While it is true that oil reserves are finite, these are not going to dry up abruptly on a specific date. Instead, oil will become more expensive and there will be a natural diversification to other sources of energy brought about by this price barrier (Energy Resources, 1983). The petrochemical industry features a new dimension to the problem of fossil fuel use. In the post war period, a massive industry producing synthetic fibres, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, plastics and many other products was born. Without these life would be very different from what it is today. This industry is based on the use of oil as chemical feed stock and so has contributed greatly to the increase in its consumption throughout this period. However, the exhaustion of oil reserves would create problems within this industry that would be only be partially solved by a changeover to coal as the basic raw material. This aspect is an important factor that must be considered in greater detail in planning for the use of fossil fuel in the coming decades.  Fig.2 Shows 1973 and 2003 Shares of World Oil Consumption The heavy industrialisation of western and emerging economies, which require constant fuel supplies for their maintenance, and the unavoidable fact that fossil fuel reserves are finite and exhaustible, leads us to the next most logical question. What can be done about the situation? One school of thought maintains that we should lower our expectations and return to a much simpler agrarian economy. Unfortunately, this may not be viable and practical in the short and medium terms. Western society is highly mechanised and advocate and exercise high standards of living. Automatic equipment has replaced manual effort even in the home; in addition, we have become heavily dependent on one particular fuel – oil. This is proving to be of extremely limited duration at present levels of consumption and also has proved to be highly susceptible to political factors because certain fairly small regions of the world dominate its supply. A Closer Look at the Environmental Impact of the Energy Crisis Apart from the finite supply dimension of the energy crisis, there is an equally important issue; that is, the serious adverse environmental impact of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, which contribute to the green house effect. This then leads to an increase in global temperature, what is popularly tagged as global warming. This causes rises in sea level, change of disease patterns and extinction of species. These changes, and the migration of people they could cause, could affect peace and international security. The oxides of sulfur and nitrogen also cause acidic pollution, which in turn leads to acidification of lakes, damage of trees and buildings, and increased incidence of asthma and other respiratory diseases. Increasing public pressure to limit or reduce these emissions will severely constrain the reliance that could be placed on fossil fuels as a source of increased energy supply. Unless this lost fossil fuel output is replaced on a large scale by accepted alternatives, the cost, in terms of economic development foregone, will be very high (http://www.fusion.org.uk/susdev/fossil.ht) There is a wide variety of renewable resources. They range from biomass to hydrogen fuel. Interest in the use of renewable resources has increased sharply in step with growing concern about the depletion of world oil and gas resources and about the environmental, health and other risks associated with the use of coal and nuclear fuels. Biomass energy is derived from metabolic byproducts, e.g. manure or from recently living organisms. Biomass can be used directly as fuel or to produce biofuel, such as ethanol. Research into more efficient methods of converting biofuels and other fuels into electricity utilising fuel cells is an area of very active work. However, biomass has to go through many steps before they can be used, which requires a lot of resources. Liquid biofuel include methanol, ethanol and bio diesel can be used as fuel in vehicles. A major benefit is the lower emissions, it reduces carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbons by 20 to 40 percent. In some areas corn, sugarbeets, cane and grasses are grown specifically to produce ethanol (also known as alcohol), a liquid which can be used in internal combustion engines and fuel cells. Biogas is produced during fermentation by anaerobic or aerobic bacteria. It can be easily produced from wastes, such as sewage, animal wastes, among others. Geothermal energy is found in underground reservoirs of steam, hot water, and hot dry rocks. It can be used to generate electricity and heating through heat pumps or deep earth pipes. Geothermal energy relies on local geological instability, which by definition, is unpredictable, and might stabilise. The energy in water can be used by electric utilities to generate electric power. Hydroelectric plants operate where suitable waterways are available. Other forms of water energy include tidal power and wave power, etc. Water is a cheap source of power and produces relatively little air pollution compared to fossil fuels. However, there are notable environmental impacts associated with dams, which affect the local habitats. Many of the best of these sites have already been developed; therefore it might not be a feasible option for developed nations in the future. Solar energy is energy collected directly from the sun. However, its use is limited as it only provides energy during the day and some regions do not get much sunshine. Winds are created by uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, and the kinetic energy yielded by wind turbines. Some argue that they find the turbines an eye sore and that they kill birds. Wind strengths vary and therefore constant power cannot be guaranteed.   In this age of energy scarcity, these are some of the options that may be considered as alternatives to fossil fuel. For long term sustainability, each of these options must be assessed in light of their strengths and limitations. Important criteria for assessment may include impact to the environment, availability of supply, efficiency, and cost effectiveness. Read More