Energy Sciences

Introduction

Energy Demand

In the late 1990’s, worldwide demand for energy was predicted to peak at 13 TW by the year 2001.¹ The relentless pace of technological advances along with an exponentially growing population has pushed that demand to 17.4 TW in 2015.² Our unabated demand for more energy to power our lifestyles, has so devastated our planet’s natural resources and ecosystems that we are on the brink of the planet’s 6^th mass extinction event.³ There are many  interconnected factors that are driving this environmental catastrophe; however, global warming and its associated climatic changes (extreme weather events, sea level rise, prolonged fires, droughts, etc.) pose the greatest threat to the sustainability of life as we know it.⁴

The increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a result of human activity is recognized as the root cause of global warming. These gases (predominantly carbon dioxide formed from the combustion of fossil fuels) rise into the atmosphere where they trap solar radiation that would normally escape into space. The continual increase in the concentration of GHGs has intensified the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect which has led to the gradual rise in global temperatures. 

Data collected since the middle of the industrial revolution illustrate the relationship between increased CO₂ emissions and global temperatures. The data show that CO₂ emissions have increased from 280 ppmv (parts per million by volume) in 1860 to over 476 ppmv in 2017.⁵

As a result, the earth’s global mean temperature has increased approximately 1.0°C relative to pre-industrial levels.

Although world leaders have tried to craft realistic international agreements  that would mitigate the threats of climate change, they have yet to fully enact a comprehensive unified plan of action. 

Thus, it seems that we will continue to ignore the evidence of global warming and draw ever closer to the threshold (2⁰ C above pre-industrial levels) beyond which the effects of climate change will become irreversible.

The Stone Age Didn’t End Because They Ran Out of Stones⁶

The data on energy use in all sectors of the global economy confirm the continued dominance of fossil fuels.  Recent developments, however, suggest that a change may be on the horizon.⁷ The use of fossil fuels is so profitable because energy corporations have not (until recently) been held accountable for the effects of their product on the environment and public health.⁸ Presently there are many legislative efforts throughout the world that levy taxes and fines that require the industry to pay for the damages they have caused.⁹

By requiring plants to invest in countermeasures to air pollution, the legislation implicitly put a price on some of the human health impacts of coal pollution. And by making coal more expensive, clean-air regulations also reduce pollution, as alternatives to coal become more cost-competitive¹⁰

Most economists predict that the combination of decreasing profits, coupled with the rise of more efficient, economical renewable energy technologies (see Giant Batteries and Cheap Solar Power are Pushing Coal off the Grid ¹¹), will end of the era of coal fired power plants in the United States and in most industrialized nations worldwide.¹²

Recent advances in solar, wind, and battery technology suggest that these newer technologies are poised to become the resources that can meet our energy needs while respecting our desire to protect our environment.  And although our federal government has failed to adopt policies that acknowledge the need for responsible climate legislation, private citizens, local municipalities, interest groups, and multinational organizations around the world have undertaken initiatives to save our planet.  Fossil fuels will eventually disappear, not because we will run out of them, but because they will no longer be relevant to our way of life.

The current energy change is driven not by convenience or by a new discovery, but by society. People want novel and cleaner services, and these can be provided with much less energy. Consumers will drive demand for new technologies and new services, and changes in behavior and preferences will drive new ways of providing them. The future could be very different from today.¹³