Energy Crises

Introduction -- Energy crises and agenda setting -- Public opinion during an energy crisis -- The question of trust -- The Yom Kippur Arab-Israeli War: the crisis of 1973-74 -- The Iranian oil crisis: 1979-1980 -- The Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991 -- The era of peak oil energy prices: the oil shocks of 1999-2000 and 2007-08 -- Conclusion

Energy Global energy demand has more than doubled since 1970. The use of energy is strongly related to almost every conceivable aspect of development: wealth, health, nutrition, water, infrastructure, education and even life expectancy itself are strongly and significantly related to the consumption of energy per capita. Many development indicators are strongly related to per-capita energy consumption. Fossil fuel is the most conventional source of energy but also increases greenhouse gas emissions. The economic development of many countries has come at the cost of the environment. However, it should not be presumed that a reconciliation of the two is not possible. The nexus concept is the interconnection between the resource energy, water, food, land, and climate. Such interconnections enable us to address trade-offs and seek synergies among them. Energy, water, food, land, and climate are essential resources of our natural environment and support our quality of life. Competition between these resources is increasing globally and is exacerbated by climate change. Improving resilience and securing resource availability would require improving resource efficiency. Many policies and programs are announced nationally and internationally for replacing the conventional mode and also emphasizing on conservation of fossil fuels and reuse of exhausted energy, so a gap in implications and outcomes can be broadly traced by comparing the data. This book aims to highlight problems and solutions related to conventional energy utilization, formation, and multitudes of ecological impacts and tools for the conservation of fossil fuels. The book also discusses modern energy services as one of the sustainable development goals and how the pressure on resource energy disturbs the natural flows. The recent advances in alternative energy sources and their possible future growth are discussed and on how conventional energy leads to greenhouse gas formation, which reduces energy use efficiency. The different policies and models operating is also addressed, and the gaps that remained between them. Climate change poses a challenge for renewable energy, and thus it is essential to identify the factors that would reduce the possibility of relying on sustainable energy sources. This book will be of interest to researchers and stakeholders, students, industries, NGOs, and governmental agencies directly or indirectly associated with energy research.

We are facing a global energy crisis caused by world population growth, an escalating increase in demand, and continued dependence on fossil-based fuels for generation. It is widely accepted that increases in greenhouse gas concentration levels, if not reversed, will result in major changes to world climate with consequential effects on our society and economy. This is just the kind of intractable problem that Purdue University's Global Policy Research Institute seeks to address in the Purdue Studies in Public Policy series by promoting the engagement between policy makers and experts in fields such as engineering and technology. Major steps forward in the development and use of technology are required. In order to achieve solutions of the required scale and magnitude within a limited timeline, it is essential that engineers be not only technologically-adept but also aware of the wider social and political issues that policy-makers face. Likewise, it is also imperative that policy makers liaise closely with the academic community in order to realize advances. This book is designed to bridge the gap between these two groups, with a particular emphasis on educating the socially-conscious engineers and technologists of the future. In this accessibly-written volume, central issues in global energy are discussed through interdisciplinary dialogue between experts from both North America and Europe. The first section provides an overview of the nature of the global energy crisis approached from historical, political, and sociocultural perspectives. In the second section, expert contributors outline the technology and policy issues facing the development of major conventional and renewable energy sources. The third and final section explores policy and technology challenges and opportunities in the distribution and consumption of energy, in sectors such as transportation and the built environment. The book's epilogue suggests some future scenarios in energy distribution and use.

This book provides a historical background for the world's current energy problems, describing how the Industrial Revolution has led us to the impending end of the "Age of Fossil Fuels," and describes possible solutions for averting a global crisis. 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.

Written at the height of the OPEC oil crisis of the 1970s, Canada's Energy Crisis brings into focus issues that remain relevant to Canada's national and international politics today. Framing the debate with a discussion of the United States' oil strategy as it relates to that country's national security, Laxer analyzes Canada's energy requirements, the state of its largely foreign-owned oil industry, the emergence of a continental energy policy and its implications for Federal-Provincial relations. Concluding with a discussion of the possibilities for development of Western oil sands projects and Northern oil pipelines, Laxer suggests an alternative energy and industrial strategy for Canada, one that counters the continentalist orthodoxy. Canada's Energy Crisis considers questions of economic development and national independence that remain relevant today.

The energy crisis of 1973-1974 was a pivotal event in twentieth-century American history. In the wake of the Vietnam War, it exposed the nation's economic vulnerability to foreign powers and precipitated an awareness of limits to the exploitation of natural resources. Further, it forced Americans and the American government in particular to think about the future of energy production and consumption in novel waysand made such thinking more imperative than ever. Twenty years later, questions about the energy crisis persist. What were the underlying causes of the crisis? What did we learn from it? How has it affected our current energy policies? Will another energy crisis occur in our future? In The Energy Crisis, David Lewis Feldman brings together a wide range of energy policy experts to address these questions and explore the appropriate role of governments and markets in ensuring a stable, economical, and sustainable energy supply. The authors locate the energy crisis in its historical context and find that, contrary to popular opinion, the Arab oil embargo was not responsible for the energy crisis. Rather, they contend, the crisis was caused by a series of short-sighted policy decisions meant to bring Americans cheaper energy and a cleaner environment. The contributors to The Energy Crisis conclude that the crisis was resolved by a combination of market forces and government intervention, and they offer perspectives on the need to sustain long-term interest in public/private partnerships in the face of short-term political and economic demands.

. . . a very detailed and fascinating description of the development of China s oil and natural gas industry and an assessment of its prospects. . . certainly a recommended read. Anthony D. Owen, Asia Pacific Journal of Economics and Business . . . this book should be a part of the library of anyone interested in the Chinese energy system. New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies This is a timely and important book to help enhance understanding of China s petroleum industry and to assess China s energy policy in a more sensible way. Janet Xuanli Liao, The China Journal This is a timely volume. Understanding the oil and gas industry that China has at home is an essential prerequisite to understanding Chinese foreign policy and the future role of China in world oil and gas markets. It is certain to be a major one. From the preface by Ron Oxburgh, Lord Oxburgh of Liverpool, (Climate Change Capital) China s rapid economic development is having profound implications for energy resources. China has always been exceptionally reliant on its abundant coal, but consumption of oil and gas have grown rapidly since reform began in the 1980s. In spite of vigorous domestic development most recently in the Tarim Basin China is now consuming approximately 8 per cent of the world s oil output but producing only 4 per cent. China s emergence as an energy importer has given rise to concerns that it is a major contributor to recent turmoil in energy markets. This book examines China s record of oil and gas development, its refining capacity, and energy prospects. The authors conclude that there are no fundamental reasons for anxiety about China s demands on the world energy economy, but they emphasize that its energy future will depend critically on a continuation of reform and internationalization. China and the Global Energy Crisis is a concise but detailed study of these issues. This book will appeal not only to readers concerned with China and energy issues, but also to a wider readership seeking to understand China s development and its global meaning.