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Overview
World Energy Crisis: A Reference Handbook provides a thorough investigation of a controversial topic: our current global energy situation, and what actions should be taken to prevent a crippling fuel-supply catastrophe in the future.
The book presents a historical background for current energy problems that discusses the supply and consumption of various forms of energy at different periods of history, covering the evolution of energy use in civilization beginning with human muscle power, the successive eras of mechanized industry and transportation, and our current dependence on fossil fuels. The author explains geopolitical factors regarding energy; details controversial new ways of extending the fossil fuel supply, including the exploitation of tar sands and oil shale as well as new technologies like hydraulic fracturing; and examines the various environmental concerns that are integral to extracting energy from natural resources—and the results of consuming them.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781610691475 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publication date: | 11/05/2012 |
| Series: | Contemporary World Issues |
| Pages: | 360 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d) |
| Age Range: | 1 - 17 Years |
About the Author
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures xiii
Preface xv
1 Background and History 3
Energy in Antiquity 3
The Great Transition: The Industrial Revolution 5
Birth of a Modern Giant: The Discovery of Oil 11
Talking about Energy 13
Energy Units 15
The Age of Fossil Fuels: Coal 17
Types of Coal 18
Mining Technology 19
Legislation 22
Current Status of the Coal Industry 24
The Age of Fossil Fuels: Petroleum 25
The Petroleum Industry 27
Production and Consumption Trends 31
Petroleum Technology 34
The Age of Fossil Fuels: Natural Gas 36
Production and Consumption Trends 38
Alternative Fossil Fuels 41
References 47
2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions 53
Peak Energy 54
Other Views about Peak Oil 58
Peak Coal and Peak Natural Gas 61
Extending Fossil Fuel Supplies 64
Exploitation of Known Reserves 65
Tar Sands and Shale Oil 70
New Technologies: Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing 80
Energy Conservation 87
Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use 92
Common Air Pollutants 94
Acid Precipitation 100
Clean Air Legislation 103
Global Climate Change 104
Renewable Energy 107
Nuclear Power 107
Other Renewable Energy Sources 111
References 116
3 Perspectives 125
The Case for Development of Oil Shale in the United States R. Glenn Vawter 125
Offshore Oil-Drilling Primer for Concerned People of All Ages Jan Lundberg 130
Prospects for Oil Sands in the 21st Century Kathryn Marshall 133
Drilling in the Marcellus Shale Michael Pastorkovich 137
The Problem of Canada's Tar Sands Aaron Sanger 143
Is There a Peak Oil?, Mike Lynch 147
Wave Energy, Ana Brito e Melo 150
The Solar Solution, Noah Davis 154
4 Profiles 159
American Council on Renewable Energy 159
American Petroleum Institute 163
Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas * International 166
William Hart (1797-1865) 169
Richard Heinberg (1950-) 171
M. King Hubbert (.1903-1989) 174
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 177
International Energy Agency 180
Charles Keeling (1928-2005) 183
John L. Lewis (1880-1969) 186
Amory Lovins (1947-) 189
National Renewable Energy Laboratory 191
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries 195
Post Carbon Institute 198
John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) 201
Ida M. Tarbell (1857-1944) 204
U.S. Department of Energy 207
James Watt (1736-1819) 210
Wave Energy Centre (Centro de Energia das Ondas) 213
World Coal Association 215
World Energy Council 218
Daniel Yergin(1947-) 221
5 Data and Documents 225
Data 225
Table 5.1 Production of Petroleum (in Thousands of Barrels per Day) 226
Table 5.2 Proved Reserves of Coal at the End of 2009 (in Millions of Tonnes) 234
Table 5.3 Proved Reserves of Natural Gas (in Trillion Cubic Meters) 236
Table 5.4 Projected Renewables, 2015-2035 238
Table 5.5 Sources of Greenhouse Gases, 1990-2008 243
Table 5.6 Estimated Year in Which Peak Oil Will Occur or Has Occurred 244
Documents 245
Political Consequences of the Status of World Energy Supplies (2005) 245
Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management (2005) 248
Crude Oil: Uncertainty about Future Oil Supply Makes It Important to Develop a Strategy for Addressing a Peak and Decline in Oil Production (2007) 250
2050: The Future Begins Today-Recommendations for the EU s Future Integrated Policy on Climate Change (2009) 253
International Energy Outlook 2011 258
H.R. 1868. Clean Coal-Derived Fuels for Energy Security Act of 2011 (2011) 263
6 Resources 269
Print Resources 269
Books 269
Periodicals 284
Reports 289
Nonprint Resources 296
7 Chronology 307
Glossary 319
Index 325
About the Author 335