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GLOBAL ENERGY CRISIS&
CLIMATE CHANGE

Jawaharlal Pushparajah
Balasubramaniam
UCS1163

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Jawaharlal, DHTM 2016

Global Energy crisis and
Climate change
Jawaharlal Pushparajah Balasubramaniam

Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management

English Language Awareness
UCS1163
January
2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Mrs
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A special gratitude to my colleagues, for supporting me to
accomplish my tasks successfully
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Table of Contents
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1 NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE
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1 COAL
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2 OIL
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3 NATURAL GAS
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3 GLOBAL PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUEL
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4 HOW LONG WILL FOSSIL FUEL LAST?
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5 RENEWABLE ENERGY
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6 NUCLEAR ENERGY
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7 WHAT IS AN ENERGY CRISIS?
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CLIMATE CHANGE
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1 WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?
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2 NATURAL GREENHOUSE EFFECT
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3 ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
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4 GLOBAL WARMING AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
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5 EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
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6 WHAT CAN BE DONE TO COMBAT THESE ISSUES?
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7 RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
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2 WIND ENERGY
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1Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy
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4 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
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1 Advantages of geothermal energy
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2 Disadvantages of geothermal energy
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6 BIOENERGY
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1 Biofuels
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2 Bio power
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3 Bio products
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4 Advantages of bioenergy
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5 Disadvantages of bioenergy
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1 How can we reduce Carbon footprint?
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3 Carbon negative
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9 CLIMATE FRIENDLY CONSUMERISM
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CONCLUSION
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REFERENCES
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ABSTRACT
The 21st century has reached various milestones in terms of science and technology, defense,
economy and in many more fields
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Our quality of life and standard of living have increased at the
expense of our valuable resources
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Moreover we are burning more and more fossil fuels to generate
energy in order to satisfy our needs
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Our wants are exceeding our
needs and this is where all problems start with
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As a result the world has to face the issue of energy crisis and
climate change
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We need to produce energy to meet
the demand, however it should be carried out in such a way that it does not harm and pollute our
environment
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If not there will not be any resources remaining
for the generations to come ahead
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There are wide ranges of solutions already discovered
to tackle the problem of energy crisis and climate change
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They should start from the regional, national and
international level
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1 Introduction
Since the beginning of industrial revolution in 1760 the demand for energy has increased
significantly and today it has become a global issue which needs to be addressed from the grass
root level
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At the same time the
terrific risk of climate change associated with the use of fossil fuel makes the supply of energy
increasingly difficult
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2 Energy
Currently we depend on two types of energy resources for our needs
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They are non-renewable because once burnt they cannot be used again and they
release harmful greenhouse gases
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

They were formed from the decomposition of the remains of plants and animals
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Industrial revolution began with the discovery
of burning coal
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For every 1 kilogram of coal burnt
25,000 KJ (Kilojoules) of energy is produced
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Some of the uses of coal are listed below
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Global coal consumption grew by 0
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9% according to British Petroleum annual report for 2014
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Oil is of much importance in world
trade as it takes place on a massive scale
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It is used as a source of energy for heating, cooking
and for generating electricity
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The following graph highlights how production and consumption of natural gas
has changed since 1970
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3 GLOBAL PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUEL
The global consumption of fossil fuels is growing at an increasing rate however by the end of
this century this will be significantly altered
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Figure2: fossil fuel global productions 1800-2200
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Figure3: fossil fuel consumption and world population
The above graph indicates how the global fossil fuel consumption has changed with increasing
population and how it will proceed till 2050
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4 How long will fossil fuel last?
Current rates of mining and the use of earth’s mineral resources, especially fossil fuels, are at
rates that are non-sustainable for future generations
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Once finished, future generations will need
to find alternative resources
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More details on renewable energy are given below in 2
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Uranium and plutonium are used as the raw material for
producing nuclear energy
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Nuclear energy produces electricity which is used to power homes, schools, businesses and
hospitals
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Nuclear power plants are renewable, clean energy
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In addition it produces more energy than any other fossil fuel
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Thus it is an effective way of producing energy to meet the growing demand
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Although it does not release greenhouse gases it produces a byproduct which is a radioactive
material
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Radioactive waste is produced from the nuclear reactors which are extremely dangerous
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In addition these waste needs to be disposed in protected areas as it can remain radioactive for
thousands of years
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Another major issue of using nuclear energy is that nuclear disasters can occur if the nuclear
power plant is not managed effectively or due to natural disasters
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This has raised the question of safety in nuclear power plants
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Many nations such as United States, France, Lithuania and Slovakia rely
on nuclear energy
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According to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 30 countries are operating 438
nuclear power plants and 67 new plants are under construction in 15 countries
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Figure 5: nuclear producing countries

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In simple terms it is related to the supply and demand of energy resources
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It is vital to understand what causes the
crisis
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This
may include:
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For any product to be made or transported energy is needed and this explain why
the energy crisis is vital as 7
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As a result
the old power plants will have huge strain to supply power
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As a
result the efficiency of energy produced will be less
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Unexplored renewable energy options-renewable energy is still unused in several countries and
they are dependent on fossil fuel for their energy production
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There are wide energy
saving methods that can be practiced at homes and workplace to save energy
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Wars and attacks-the energy supply gets hampered due to conflicts between countries and this
can be worsening if conflicts happen in major oil producing countries
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During the Gulf war oil price reached its peak
and caused global shortages and created major problem for consumers
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Miscellaneous factors-extreme weather events such as hot summers or cold winters, political
happenings, strikes and tax hikes can cause a sudden increase in demand for energy and this can
reduce the supply
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Major accidents and natural calamities-severe accidents such as pipeline rupture and natural
catastrophes like earthquakes, floods and storms can cause interruption to energy supply
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Poor distribution system-the lack of infrastructure for distributing energy has resulted in
shortage of energy
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CLIMATE CHANGE
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In addition
Climate change is also a change in the overall climate of earth
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The natural process by which thermal radiation is absorbed into earth’s surface by atmospheric
greenhouse gases is called greenhouse effect
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As a result natural greenhouse
effect has now become enhanced greenhouse effect
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2 Natural greenhouse effect
Light radiated from the sun is the source of energy for all living things on earth
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Only half of the light is absorbed by earth’s
surface
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The long wave radiation gets absorbed readily by the greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere such as water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and Nitrous oxide
(N2O) which occur naturally
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This keeps the earth warm and the
average global temperature of earth in 1880 was 0
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From
the industrial revolution onwards, production of industrial goods and consumption of energy
have increased dramatically
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As a result there is an imbalance created which traps more heat and prevent it from escaping to
the atmosphere
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The gases responsible for enhanced greenhouse effect are:
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Carbon dioxide produced from combustion (CO2)



Methane produced from agriculture (CH4)



Nitrous oxide from fossil fuels, agriculture and industrial process (N2O)



Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Due to the adverse effects of these harmful greenhouse gases the earth’s average temperature has
been rising and at present the global temperature of earth is 0
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55C from
1880s
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The global temperature in 2015 up to the period of November is 0
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The concentrations of these greenhouse
gases are extremely high and they have a longer life span
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According to CO2Now
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16ppm (parts per million)
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Figure 11: Global CO2 emissions, 1958-2015

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Some of them are
given below
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The Arctic ice cap is thinning every year
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

Glaciers in high mountain areas have begun to melt
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The annual rate of rise in sea level is 0
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2 millimeters)
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Melting of polar ice caps and glaciers
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Thermal expansion of water

 Extreme weather events are taking place such as unexpected precipitation, heatwave,
hurricanes and flooding to name a few
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6 WHAT CAN BE DONE TO COMBAT THESE ISSUES?
Both energy crisis and climate change has an inter-relationship
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In addition these fossil fuels are the primary
cause for greenhouse gases which have resulted in global warming
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Many possible solutions are already in place but they have not been widely adopted
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Use renewable energy resources-the ideal solution is to get rid of non-renewable
energy resources and use renewable technologies as it is finite
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For example
traditional bulbs should be replaced by CFL’s and LED’s as they use less electricity
and can last long
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Lighting controls-new technologies are developed that makes lighting controls
efficient and saves a lot of energy
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Monitoring how
energy is used and where energy is wasted can help to take steps to improve energy
efficiency
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Common stand on climate change- all countries should develop a common stance on
climate change and should give utmost importance on reducing the amount of
greenhouse gases emitted
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7 RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Texas Renewable Energy Industry Alliance (TREIA) define renewable energy as “any energy
resource that is naturally regenerated over a short period of time and derived directly from the
sun (thermal, photochemical and photoelectric), indirectly from the sun (wind, hydropower and
photosynthetic energy stored in biomass) or from other natural movements and mechanism of the
environment (geothermal and tidal energy)
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Solar panels covert sun’s light in to useful solar energy using
N-type and P-type semiconductor material
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There are a variety of technologies that have been
developed to take advantage of solar energy
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Photovoltaic systems (solar cell)-Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity
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Figure 12: solar cells used in calculators and watches

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Solar electricity-solar energy is used to produce electricity on a large scale to supply
power to the national grid
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 Parabolic-trough
This system concentrates sun’s energy through long rectangular and curved mirrors
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The sunlight is focused on a pipe that runs down through the trough
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Figure 14: Parabolic trough

 Dish/engine system
The dish shaped surface collect and concentrate the sun’s heat onto a receiver
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The heat causes fluid to expand resulting in
mechanical power which is then used to produce electricity
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This heats molten salt flowing through receiver
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Molten salt keeps the heat efficiently therefore it can be stored for days before
converting into electricity
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Figure 16: Power tower system

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This is done by designing buildings
to absorb and store sun’s heat
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Figure 17: Passive solar heating and daylighting installed in buildings

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Figure 18: space heating and cooling inside a house

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 Less maintenance is needed to keep solar cells operating
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 Locally available
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 Solar power neither causes pollution nor greenhouse gases
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2 Disadvantages of solar energy

 Photo Voltaic Cells (PVCs) turn sunlight into energy using toxic substances like Cadmium
Sulphate, (CdSO4)
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 The energy obtained from solar power cannot match the energy obtained from fossil
fuels
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2 Wind energy

This is the energy harnessed from air flow using wind turbines or sails to produce mechanical or
electrical energy
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Wind turbines are grouped together into a single wind
power plant known as “wind farm” and generate bulk electrical power which is fed into a utility
grid and distributed to public
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1Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy

 A renewable nonpolluting resource
This is a free, renewable resource which is unlimited
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 Cost issues
A higher initial investment is required compared to fossil fuel plants
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However in the long run wind
cost become much competitive because there is no fuel to purchase and minimal operating
expenses
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With advancement in technology most of these issues are
resolved
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Wind cannot be stored and wind sites are often located
in remote areas far from areas in need of electricity
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3 Hydropower
Hydropower is the power derived from the energy of falling or fast running water
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Water released from these
reservoirs flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn triggers a generator to produce
electricity
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Asia-pacific region is the largest producer of hydropower accounting for
32% of global hydropower production
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1 Advantages of hydropower

 Low power costs
The major benefit of hydropower is the eradication of cost of fuel since the cost of operating a
hydroelectric power station is much less compared to that of thermal power plants which use
coal, oil and natural gas
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Only a
small fraction of CO2 is produced during manufacture and construction of the plant which is
compensated in the long run
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 Suitability for industrial applications
The water is neither consumed nor contaminated to produce hydropower; therefore it can be used
downstream for other purpose such as for drinking and irrigation
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2 Disadvantages of hydropower

 Damage to ecosystem and loss of land
Large areas of land have to be cleared to build dams, which may be the habitats of wildlife and
plants
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 Methane emissions from reservoirs
The dams located in tropical regions release methane as plant materials in flooded areas decay in
an anaerobic condition, which does not require air
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However when a dam is
built the particles cannot be transported downstream causing particles to accumulate sediments in
dams and reservoirs causing siltation
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 Relocation of people
The place where dams are planned to be constructed, people living in and around the area will
have to be relocated to another place
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4 Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is the heat from earth
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This type of energy is
widely used in and around volcanic sites where the surface temperature is more than 4000C in
the core and mantle boundary
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According to Geothermal Energy Association 21 new geothermal plants have been installed and
this industry is growing at 5% every year
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2 Disadvantages of geothermal energy

 Only few sites have the potential of geothermal energy
 Total power output of this source is less
 There is always a danger of eruption of volcano
 Most of the sites where geothermal energy is produced are far from cities or towns where
it needs to be consumed
 Installation cost of steam power plant is very high

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5 Ocean energy
The energy carried by ocean waves and tides are used to generate power
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 Thermal energy from sun’s heat
 Mechanical energy from tides and waves
Ocean thermal energy can be used for generating electricity using the ocean’s warm surface
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However not all
locations are ideal for building barrages
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There is nothing new about power from biomass
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In rural areas of developing countries a large
proportion of energy is consumed from biomass
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Biomass energy has been utilized for various applications
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1 Biofuels

Plant materials are converted directly into liquid fuel for transportation needs
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Ethanol is an alcohol which is produced by fermenting biomass that contain high % of
carbohydrates
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This is used as
fuel to cut down vehicle’s carbon monoxide and other smog causing emissions
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4% of the world’s
production
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It is used as an alternative fuel for diesel engines
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In rural areas people can produce their own
power
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People dig large pits or ditches and send all the
animal waste, plant material and all biodegradable substances into the pit and close it for certain
period of time
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A gas line is
connected to the homes and clean burning fuel will be supplied
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With a large supply of methane it is possible to generate electricity
to power televisions and refrigerators
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3 Bio products

Bio mass can be used to produce chemical products
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However bio products require less energy to
be produced and a range of biodegradable plastic products can be manufactured
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4 Advantages of bioenergy

 emits little or no net greenhouse gases
 this is a possible solution for waste disposal which is of growing concern
 is plentiful wherever agricultural crops and forestry exist
 can help to stabilize soils, improve fertility of soil and reduce erosion
 can be stored with minimum energy loss
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7 Hydrogen and fuel cells
Hydrogen is the simplest element on earth
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For example hydrogen (H) is combined with oxygen
(O2) resulting in water (H2O)
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Since 1970 NASA is using liquid hydrogen to propel space shuttle and rockets
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And
this is what the astronauts drink
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Fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy just as in a battery
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1 Advantages of hydrogen and fuel cells

 Fuel cells does not degrade
 Clean and efficient
 Flexible and easy installation
 Extremely reliable
 Efficient conversion to electricity
 Does not require huge facilities or power plants
 It can be transported to locations where needed
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8 Carbon footprint
Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2), emitted
directly or indirectly by an individual or a product manufacture during a given period of time
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Traditionally fossil fuels have a larger carbon footprint than other energy sources
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Figure 21: Carbon Footprint of an individual

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1 How can we reduce Carbon footprint?

 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle- a large amount of energy is needed to produce goods
and at the same time large quantity of CO2 emitted
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 Eat less meat-eating vegetarian meals would almost save about 3000 pounds of CO2
per year
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By
accelerating slowly and smoothly, maintaining a steady speed and drive according to
speed limit help to save more than a ton of CO2 per year
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2 Carbon neutral

This concept involves a net zero carbon footprint
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3 Carbon negative

This is the process of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide to a level that is greater than the
amount of CO2 produced during the operation
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As technology develops we, the humans, are in
search of comfort
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At present 7
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To overcome this problem Shigadry with earth Co, Japanese based company came up with the
concept of using products which satisfy our comforts and at the same time produce a negative
carbon footprint
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Following are few climate friendly products which have a negative carbon footprint
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The role of this window film is
to reduce the amount of energy used to keep buildings and homes cool, thus help to decrease
CO2 levels in the atmosphere
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Rubber plants can absorb more
carbon dioxide compared to other plants
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As a result our mattress is made from latex and thus removes mire
than 400kg of CO2 per piece
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This is the process of converting agricultural
waste into soil enhancer
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The charcoal helps to retain nutrients and water in soil
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2 gigatons of
carbon can be removed annually
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CONCLUSION
In the past nature had the ability to repair damages caused to them on its own and as a result
there was a balance between nature and humans
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Thus nature does not possess the ability to
repair the increasing damages caused by humans
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The more we harm nature, the more we have to pay for it
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This should be done effectively and immediately
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We need to understand that global energy crisis
has resulted due to development in technology and change in our quality of life
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To meet our comforts we are wasting loads of valuable energy which are obtained by burning
fossil fuels and other energy sources
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Thus the solution for both energy crisis and climate change is ONE
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By shifting our dependency from non-renewable to clean renewable sources we can
make a change to our beautiful planet earth and preserve it for many more generations to come
ahead
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REFERENCES
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http://climate
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gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/
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https://www
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noaa
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[Online] NOAA
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CO2 concentrations
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org/
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definition of renewable energy resource
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treia
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[Online]
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https://en
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org/wiki/Hydroelectricity
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geothermal

energy

association
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org/reports/2015/2015%20Annual%20US%20%20Global%20Geothermal%20Power%20Productio
n%20Report%20Draft%20final
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[Online]
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http://oceantidalenergy84
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com/advantagesdisadvantages
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[Online]
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http://www
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org/publications/biblio/4597
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renewable energy sources
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renewableenergyworld
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html
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global fossil fuel production
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rmi
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[Online]
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https://www
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org/info/encyclopedia/f/fuelcomparison
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[Online]
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http://www
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com/

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