Globalshift.co.uk - copyright © 2009 to 2023; All rights reserved.
Some data in the website may not be the most recent available Home | Terms of use | Datafiles
We are confronting another huge challenge and, like climate change, it has been encroaching for years. In concert with global warming, and in an unholy alliance, comes the decline of oil and gas.
For thousands of years slaves and cheap labour supported civilisation but, following the Industrial Revolution, humanity began to thrive on stored solar energy contained in coal, oil and gas. Used for transport, heat and cold, and materials too, notably concrete, metals, plastics and fertilisers, fossil fuels have increased human capacity a hundred fold and our standard of living, indeed our capacity to stay alive, now depends on them as we burn through 16 billion of tonnes a year, releasing double that weight of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the process. But, although huge volumes remain in the ground the easy pickings are long gone. The new stuff is deeper in the earth, deeper under water, and in remoter, more formidable environments.
Still, this is not the whole story. This is not where the real challenge lies.
Over the last 50 years, as demand for oil and gas soared and supply routes multiplied, ever more sophisticated equipment was required for extraction, processing and transport all of which needed energy, and lots of it. As a consequence the Energy Return on Investment (EROI); the ratio of the amount of energy delivered from a resource to the amount used to obtain that resource, has fallen precipitously and is still falling.
The EROI, this is the challenge.
Of course there is no doubt, at least for most of us, that burning fossil fuels damages our environment. We face an existential threat to the world’s current climate balance on which 8 billion people relies. So, while the net energy content from fossil fuels dwindles, we must find new cleaner sources which also require substantial amounts of energy to exploit and other things too such as uranium, graphite and rare metals, for magnets, batteries, and electronics.
Less net energy, scarce materials, resource nationalisation, high costs and inflation. It is a recipe for human hardship and, of course, resource wars. And what are we doing to counteract this perfect storm? In regards to EROI, not much at all.
The energy and transport industries are developing alternatives, experimenting with carbon capture and converting to electrified transport. But some organisations are making things worse, attempting to ‘stop oil’ and damage economies in countries most active in mitigating the problems. A reduction in the financial strength of commercial organisations and governments reduces their capacity to pay for new technology and infrastructure and other strategies to mitigate the effect of a changing climate.
We should all feel free to persuade (or force) humans to use less energy for leisure activities but careless attempts to cut essential supplies through bans and boycotts can kill people more quickly and efficiently than climate change ever could. Make no mistake ‘clean’ energy supplies are still insufficient to meet our needs. Only by retaining fossil fuels in controlled decline while expanding renewable and mitigation strategies can human death and destruction be, perhaps, avoided.
Falling EROI is happening. Climate change is happening. But surely we should also work to provide sufficient energy for all our 8 billion people. Like it or not, fossil fuels remain fundamental to the existence of our crowded human world.
Access and use of the globalshift.co.uk website and any data and/or reports are subject to terms of use.
By using globalshift.co.uk you signify acceptance of the terms listed.
Copyright: By viewing data you and your organisation agree that datafiles and reports provided by globalshift.co.uk remain the copyright of globalshift.co.uk and must not be sold or distributed in any form. Presentations and charts may be printed but must retain reference to globalshift.co.uk as holder of copyright. No posting, publication, transmission or redistribution of any part of the website and its contents may be undertaken without the written permission of globalshift.co.uk.
Accuracy of information: Notwithstanding the fact that data in globalshift.co.uk are interpretative, all reasonable endeavours have been taken to ensure that the information published is accurate. However, there may be occasions when this is not possible. Where information is not available in the public domain, but estimations would be useful for completeness, then interpolations and educated guesswork are used. Globalshift.co.uk does not and cannot promise correctness and does not warrant that information is accurate, complete or up-to-date. Furthermore most historic information within globalshift.co.uk is obtained from third party sources over which it has no control.
Information about you: See Privacy Policy
Continuity of service: Globalshift.co.uk endeavours to provide an unbroken service. However, it is not guaranteed that the site will always be on-line at all locations. It takes no responsibility for lack of service for whatever reason.
Links: Some pages on the website contain links to sites not maintained by globalshift.co.uk. You are reminded that when you enter other sites you will leave the globalshift.co.uk domain and will not be subject to these terms of use. It is not responsible for the content of such pages and does not endorse or make any recommendation about any such products and services.
Legal disclaimer: No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by globalshift.co.uk as to the completeness and/or accuracy of any information contained in this website and it does not accept any responsibility in relation to such information. Any decisions based on information contained in this site are the sole responsibility of the user. Globalshift.co.uk provides general information only and neither gives advice nor provides information that relates to any particular circumstances.
Limitation of liability: You accept that globalshift.co.uk shall not be liable in any event for any direct or indirect loss or damages arising from the use of the website or any data used or copied from Globalshift.
Governing law and jurisdiction: These terms are governed by English Law and you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Amendments: From time to time the terms of use may change. By using globalshift.co.uk you show that you accept any such changes.
