Global Energy Consumption
Group 28- Prachi Patel, Jayanth Reddy Rachamallu, Saikiran Reddy Nallabolu
Group 28- Prachi Patel, Jayanth Reddy Rachamallu, Saikiran Reddy Nallabolu
INTRODUCTION
Global Energy Consumption by Countries in TWh
The effect of energy consumption in different forms and it’s global impact on climate change is an important topic that is highly debated over the years. Humans are the leading species generating energy for consumption from various sources and to satisfy our needs, however the question still remains will we run out fuel or will we be able to save ourselves before it’s too late?
As the world warms, the important question of which countries or regions are the major players depending on sectoral composition, size, economies ,the joint impact of mixed fuels with the increasing demands of each nation in contributing to a less depleted world.
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
The animated bar chart to the right vividly shows us the total power consumption in Terra watt hour of the top 20 countries over the years(1990-2020) in terms of renewable sources of energy. With China in the lead ,followed closely by US when it comes to hydro and bio fuel, we can see the roles reverse in case of Solar energy. Surprisingly we can see a decrease in consumption when it comes to Geothermal energy. While US still leads followed by Indonesia and Turkey, while China goes way below in the chart.
Possible reasons for China leading the chart for two of the most important renewable resources can be credited to multiple reasons.one being that it has three huge dams .The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest dam, with a capacity of 22.5 GW ,which are largely responsible for China's electricity generation, which accounted for 18% of China's electricity generation and 19% of China's installed power capacity.
Indonesia being a developing country however has still managed to utilize its location efficiently. Being the country of ring of fire volcanic belt it includes 40% of the world's geothermal reserves with about 200 volcanoes around scattered among its various islands.
NON RENEWABLE RESOURCES
The real culprit however are the non renewable resources ,most of the power generated still comes from burning fossil fuels while we are trying to use renewable sources ,the question still remains as to is it enough?
With China consistently leading when it comes to fossil consumption over the years, followed closely by the US. The question arises about the depletion of the world's resources especially by these two countries. With the US reporting a consumption of 20% of the world's non renewable resources for 2019 with China in the lead burning more coal than all other countries combined in 2011 it constitutes around one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gases, the largest share of any country.
Increasing population, along with the increase in economy over decades, combined with a huge manufacturing industry and mass migration have turned China into a power-hungry nation ,but this is not the entire story. The Chinese government is striving to shift to more eco friendly resources. It is one of the largest generator of hydro and bio fuel in the world. However, only 23% of the energy that China consumes is from ‘clean’ sources, whereas almost everything else is through burning coal and nuclear power.
The United states follows closely behind, with a smaller population in comparison it does a poor job of managing its resources as can be seen from its consumption history over the years. The United States attempts at using alternative sources of energy however need to be noted. According to a prominent Stanford University professor the United States can meet its total energy needs using 100% wind, water and solar by 2050. This would include using electric cars and solar energy which it is one of the pioneers in, however this attempt on a world scale would be something of a challenge to accomplish.
India comes in third with a constant increase seen over the years. Increase in population, industrialization along with electrification of villages has significantly increased the power consumption in India. However, the fact still remains that most of India's power is generated by burning coal, but on a per capita basis. The silver lining is that India’s energy use and emissions are less than half the world average, but the ever increasing population is one of the major causes which is hindering substantial growth.
GLOBAL ENERGY PRODUCTION
The major source of energy world wide are fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable sources which include solar, geothermal, wind and hydro. With the world struggling to meet its ever growing energy demands, the traditional methods of utilizing fossil fuels doesn't make the cut. With China and US as the pioneers when it comes to consumption of all kinds of energy. France comes a close third for nuclear energy in 2020, however India takes its position in overall consumption.
TEMPERATURE RISE AS A RESULT OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION
The unregulated exploitation of non renewable resources could result in increased temperature over the years and is one the major causes for global warming. Burning of non renewable resources especially coal which is one of the worst emitters of carbon dioxide, and ironically is the most widely used natural resource is the main culprit for causing about two third's of the total energy imbalance causing a rise in the earth's temperature. Natural gas emits about 50-60 % less compared to coal but it does not help solve the problem at hand.
Temperature change is one of the most measurable factors of climate change as a result of human activity, and the effects don't stop there. The concerns about climate change and global warming are cross cutting .Apart from the direct impact of rising temperature and changing weather patterns resulting in floods and droughts it might cause an imbalance in the entire ecosystem resulting in life threatening impact. The graph above shows the change in temperature over the last 20 years giving us a glimpse of what is to come if serious measure are not taken towards a greener and more ecofriendly way of generating energy.