Energy Crisis: Life in Consumption

Nowadays, with the increase in population, the energy crisis has become a global problem. Every aspect of people's daily life needs energy support. If we do not have enough energy, the whole human civilization cannot last. Therefore, to solve this emergency, we need to reduce overconsumption and develop reusable energy resources so that people do not have to go through war to grab resources from each other. One of the main causes of the energy crisis is overconsumption.

Take 2018 as an example, the world's primary energy sources including petroleum (34%), coal (27%), natural gas (24%).

(Key World Energy Statistics, 2019) BP's annual report on proved global oil reserves shows that Earth has 1.688 trillion barrels of crude, which will last 53.3 years at current rates of extraction. However, only in the US, the cost of energy has already reached about 309 million British thermal units (Btu). (Total Energy Consumption, 2018) Comparing these two very different data, the urgency of the energy crisis.

The reason why we cause high consumption is bad life habits.

People sometimes leave the lights on when they do not need them or run the dishwasher when it only half-full. All these behaviors will cause a waste of energy. The effect of the energy crisis is also horrible. Energy plays an extremely important role in global conflicts. The governments of Iraq, Russia, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Syria need to sell oil to keep their country running. (Klare, 2014) As a result, many powerful countries are jealous of the resources of these oil-rich countries so that they began energy wars from 1980.

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These developed countries finally understand that in 20th-century energy is the foundation of a country. Without enough oil, countries cannot even develop their own army. So that the effect of the energy crisis is not only shown in people’s daily life but also can lead to wars, which may cause thousands and hundreds of people to lose their homes and even lives. Finally, the solutions to solving the energy crisis are abundant. Using renewable sources of energy can help us to save lots of fossil energy. Renewable energy is the energy that is collected from renewable resources, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. (Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017)

These kinds of clean energy do not only lower maintenance requirements but also can reduce pollution. Reusable energy sources such as solar, wind and tidal energy can be used up to 100%. As of 2020, many countries have already developed their own reusable energy, such as China, the Us, and Canada. Take the US as an example. Renewable energy is a highly developed energy source in the United States, increasing 100 percent from 2000 to 2018. Renewables made up more than 17 percent of net U.S. electricity generation in 2018, with the bulk coming from hydropower (7.0 percent) and wind power (6.6 percent). (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2018)

Therefore, according to these optimistic data, we may solve the energy crisis completely in the near future. To sum up, the effect of the energy crisis may be terrible, but with the hardworking of human beings, we can still beat it in the near future. As a result, before we invited new technology to produce enough reusable energy resources to replace fossil energy, we should reduce the energy waste in our daily life to protect our homeland-Earth.

Bibliography

1. International Energy Agency. 26 September 2019. pp. 6, 36. Retrieved 7 December 2019. “Total Energy Consumption.” Enerdata, yearbook.enerdata.net/total-energy/world-consumption-statistics.html.
2. Klare, Michael T., and Jeffrey Michel. “Energy Wars: How Oil and Gas Are Fuelling Global Conflicts.” Energy Post, 15 July 2014, energypost.eu/twenty-first-century-energy-wars-oil-gas-fuelling-global-conflicts/.
3. “Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews.” Journal, www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-and-sustainable-energy-reviews.
4. “U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” Renewable Energy Explained – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/.