The Global Energy Crisis
Websites devoted to the global energy crisis
and related issues
A new era of sustainable energy is dawning.
Decisions must be informed by analysis and science.
New at Planetforlife
"The Greenhouse Effect Explained" and "The History of Carbon Dioxide on Earth" are
recently added pages. The science has not been watered down. Find out why the evidence
is so compelling to scientists.
Mission Statement
Find out what inspired the creation of this website.
Baloney Detector
Is it science? Or is it baloney? Let Carl Sagan explain how to tell the
difference.
Book Reviews, etc.
Book reviews, magazine articles, recent news and reader comments may be found
here.
The View From Space
Who left the lights on? NASA answers that question for the whole planet.
Visitor Counter
(Many visitors bypass index page.)
A statement of the problem in capsule form
Abundant and economical energy is the life blood of modern civilizations. The bargraph shows oil, coal and natural gas together supplying 85 percent of the world's energy supply in 2008.
Coal, nuclear and hydro are used primarily to make electricity. Natural gas is widely
used for heating. Biomass, meaning wood and dried dung, is used for heating and
cooking. The red sliver is wind and solar power, primarily. The sliver may be small,
but it is the future because wind and solar power are sustainable.
Oil powers almost all machines that move and that makes oil uniquely versatile. Oil
powered airplanes carry 500 people across the widest oceans at nearly the speed of
sound. Oil powered machines produce and transport food. In North America there are
many more seats in oil powered vehicles than there are people. Oil powered machines
are ubiquitous. Clearly, we live in the age of oil, but it is drawing to a
close.
If oil production remains constant, there is enough to last 42 years. That figure is
61 years for natural gas and 133 years for coal. Oil and gas wells produce less as
they become depleted which is just one reason production will not stay constant.
Everyone realizes oil and gas will become scarce and expensive within the life times
of living humans. Inevitably, there will be a transition to sustainable energy
sources. The transition may be willy-nilly or planned--the choice is ours.
Consider the implications of the following facts;
* The United States consumes 25 percent of the world's oil and 70 percent of that is
imported.
* 61 percent of the world's oil reserves are in the Middle East. The United States
has 2.4 percent.
* 66.3 percent of the world's gas reserves are in the Middle East and the Russian
Federation. The United States has 3.4 percent.
Because of our numbers and our technology, we humans greatly influence the ecology of
Earth. Yet Earth does not come with an operating manual and we need to look to science
to create one.
The new era of limited and expensive energy will be very difficult for everyone on
Earth but it will be even more difficult if it is not anticipated. It is of utmost
importance that the public and especially policymakers understand the global energy
crisis and the underlying science.
How to use this site
This is a large site and there are many links. The navigation buttons can take you everywhere. But there is another way. You can use Google to search this website. Try searching for LNG Ships or Limbaugh.
