Are We Running Out of Energy Arguments over energy Some countries have so much coal oil gas or uranium that they sell it to other countries Others have very few reserves and need to import their energy The quest for energy resources can become a source of conflict For example many people believe the world’s dependence on Mideastern oil has increased the potential for wars in that area Discovering new reserves can also cause problems As the earth’s temperature has risen with our burning of fossil fuels the Northwest Passage a sea route through Northern Canada has opened up Until recently this route which connects Europe and Asia was often frozen solid But the ice at the North Pole has melted so much that the waterways are now A worker welds part of a pipeline that will carry natural gas from Siberia in Russia to Western Europe FORUM People hold very different views about who should have access to the world’s energy supplies Energy is essential for development Yet 2 billion people currently go without condemning them to remain in the poverty trap We need to make clean energy supplies accessible and affordable Kofi Annan United Nations secretary-general 1997 2007 speaking in 2002 We will not do anything that harms our economy because first things first are the people who live in America that’s my priority President George W Bush 2001 What’s your view
more navigable Many countries are rushing to claim the possible reserves of oil and other minerals there and are beginning to lay claim to the area How is energy used around the world Different countries use different amounts of energy The United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population but consumes 18 percent of the world’s energy Per person Iceland consumes the most but much of that comes from renewable sources Not everyone depends on fossil fuels More than a century after the invention of the lightbulb nearly one-third of the world’s population still does not have electricity Most of these people live in rural areas in South Asia and Africa Their main sources of energy for cooking lighting and heating are wood and animal waste They need access to other types of cheap energy to improve their standards of living A woman returns from collecting firewood in a village on the south coast of India Many people around the world still rely on wood for cooking and heating their homes Why does energy hit the news Energy issues make news headlines for a variety of reasons The world’s population is increasing rapidly as is its demand for energy Countries such as China Brazil and India have fast-growing economies Just a few years ago traffic jams were unheard of in the Chinese capital city Beijing In China today one family in four owns a car Two hundred years ago everyone would have relied on the fuel they could find around their homes Today the energy for our fuel heat and light travels long distances to reach us Finally the way we produce distribute and use energy is harmful to the environment Stories about the environment make news whether they are about the waste created by extracting coal or spills of uranium or oil caused by transporting fuel around the world But the most serious threat affecting everyone in the world is the fact that the earth is being heated to dangerous levels by our burning of fossil fuels Humans are contributing to a major change in the earth’s climate 11
Chapter 2 What is the story of energy Early humans learned to make fire by rubbing pieces of flint together This was the beginning of an incredible journey of discovery and invention that harnessed energy resources to meet people’s needs Until 150 years ago most of the energy we used came from renewable sources such as the sun wind trees and flowing water The first sources of energy About 5,000 years ago Egyptians made the first known sailing boats capturing the wind to travel faster and farther About 2,500 years ago the Persians used the wind to power windmills to crush grain At the same time the Greeks were building homes to take advantage of the sun’s light and warmth They were also piping water from hot springs to heat their houses By the end of the Roman era waterwheels were providing power in mills to crush grain shape iron and saw wood Ancient civilizations also discovered they could use fossil fuels for lighting and heating Egyptians learned to collect oil floating on the surface of lakes and use it as fuel or medicine The ancient Chinese learned to pump natural gas from shallow wells they Feluccas sailing boats on the Nile River in Egypt For about 5,000 years people have used the wind as a source of energy to move people and goods around the world
This engraving from 1835 shows workers at a textile factory during the Industrial Revolution The mass production of textiles in factories meant an increasing demand for energy used the gas to heat seawater and extract salt from it They also discovered they could burn coal and produce heat During the Middle Ages people throughout Europe channeled moving water to turn wooden wheels to grind grain Engineers built mills on boats and bridges and industrial areas sprang up along rivers In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries European explorers used the power of the wind to propel their sailing ships across oceans to discover new lands FOCUS Working in a coal mine In 1842 10-year-old Alexander Gray was working as a pump boy in a coal mine He described his daily life I pump out the water in the under-bottom of the pit to keep the men dry I am obliged to pump fast or the water would cover me The water frequently covers my legs I have been two years at the pump I am paid 10 old pence a day No holiday but the Sabbath Sunday I go down at three sometimes five in the morning and come up at six or seven at night The age of machines The world changed significantly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when the Industrial Revolution started in England Textiles pottery iron and steel had traditionally been produced in small workshops but the Industrial Revolution meant that they began to be made in factories This mass production by machine meant the demand for energy increased rapidly Many of Europe’s forests were cut down to fuel the production of iron and the building of ships Coal was the most popular fuel but it was hard to extract because the mines were constantly filling up with groundwater 13
