2 scramble for energy unit1,2

• energy resources = natural resources used for generating power
• major energy resources

  1. coal
  2. natural gas
  3. oil
  4. nuclear power
  5. fuelwood
  6. biofuel
  7. solar power
  8. wind power
  9. hydroelectric power
  10. tidal power
  11. wave power
  12. geothermal power
• non-renewable energy: coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power
• nuclear power is produced by the nuclear reaction of radioactive elements like uranium and plutonium
• fuelwood is wood cut from trees
• biofuel is produced from plant and animal products or waste
• solar power is converted from sunlight
• wind power is generated when wind blows
• hydroelectric power is produced by water falling from a great height
• tidal power is produced by changing level of tides
• wave power is converted from the energy of sea waves
• geothermal power is produced by the intense heat from the molten rock beneath the earth's crust
• the most widely used energy resources in the world: oil, coal, and natural gas (they are known as fossil fuels)
• fossil fuels take up 85% of energy consumption in the world
• fossil fuels are formed underground from the remains of dead plants and animals from millions of years ago
• fossil fuels have different forms and colours but they are formed in the same way
• fossil fuels are widely used because

  1. coal is cheap to mine and the drilling techniques of oil and natural gas are mature
  2. they produce much energy and are convenient to use
  3. they are cheap to transport
• the global distribution of fossil fuels is uneven
• coal is mainly found in the Asia Pacific region, Russia and the USA
• oil and natural gas are heavily concentrated in the Middle East region, Russia and North America
• Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East are rich in oil and natural gas
• Iraq in the Middle East is rich in oil
• Turkmonistan in the Middle East is rich in natural gas
• balance = production - consumption
• (+) surplus: production > consumption
• (-) deficit: production < consumption
• reasons to scramble for energy resources:

  1. The mismatch of energy-producing countries and energy-consuming countries
  2. Insufficient fossil fuel reserves to meet future demand
• some major energy producers produce more fossil fuels than they need (eg Russia and Saudi Arabia) while some major energy consumers do not produce enough fossil fuels to meet their demand (eg China and India)

  thus, there is mismatch of energy-producing countries and energy-consuming countries
• the major energy consumers that do not produce enough fossil fuels (eg China and India) have to look for a reliable fuel supply
• look for a reliable fuel supply by:

  1. maintain good relationships with the energy-exporting countries
  2. invest in the energy industry in energy-exporting countries
  3. invest in building pipelines and shipping facilities to ensure smooth transport of fuels
  4. develop their own alternative energy resources (eg solar power)
• LDCs (eg China and India) have rapid industrial and economic development, rapid population growth, and a rise in living standards

  MDCs (eg USA) have high levels of industrial and economic development, and have high living standards

  Thus, lead to a large and increasing global demand for fossil fuels
• it is hard to meet the increasing demand because

  1. fossil fuels are finite resources with limited supply
  2. difficult to extract new fossil fuel reserves because it is expensive and risky to the environment (eg new oil reserves found in deep seas in the Arctic)
• problems caused by the shortages of fossil fuels

  1. economic problems
  2. conflicts among countries
• shortage of oil causes negative economic impact as with the shortage of oil, oil price increases, transport and industrial production costs rise, thus slowing down economic growth or even leading to global economic recession
• countries may engage in wars to secure a reliable supply of oil and natural gas because of the shortage of oil and the importance of oil and natural gas supply to economic development