Energy Policy for the 21st Cen

...a safe, environmentally sound, and an economically viable energy pathway that will sustain human progress into the distant future...

Can this "energy pathway", as called for in the Brandtland Commission in 1987 (Mitchell, 1996: 149), be fulfilled by the current energy situation? The world population is likely to reach 10 billion by the end of the 21st century and demand for energy will increase. Current fossil fuel use seems to be altering the global climate and causing pollution. Is a switch to renewable energy the only solution and is this even economically, technologically, politically and socially possible? How could new technology, nuclear power or conservation be incorporated into 21st century energy policy?

Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) provide around 78% of the world’s energy (Walsh, 1999). There is a finite supply of fossil fuels, but the World Energy Council report (Strubegger, 1998) does not see this as a limit to fossil fuel use in the twenty first century. The limit to its use will be environmental concerns. The use of fossil fuels puts 22 billion tonnes of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere each year (National Geographic, March 2001). This adds to the greenhouse effect,

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

When there is low demand excess electricity can be used to pump water back up to a high dam; it effectively stores energy. The most serious problem is public opposition due to the visual impact. There is also a risk of landslides or earthquakes destroying the dam and risking the lives of the millions of people who live downstream. As has been done in Brazil, a large part of the economy can be based on growing vegetable matter for this industry. Developments in technology could find a way to shorten the half-life of nuclear waste. The ethanol can replace or be mixed with petrol to power engines.

Nuclear proliferation is another problem.

One of the leading countries in this field is Brazil. Global warming will be exasperated by the unsustainable increase in carbon dioxide being emitted by the use of fossil fuels.

BIO-ORGANIC MATERIALS

The two main sources of bioorganic energy are wood and biomass. Coal is the worst polluter, releasing mercury, lead and sulphur, which cause acid rain and damage human health. People realised that not all countries were capable of operating this lethal technology and that its effects were not limited by national boundaries.

The problem with research into new nuclear technology is that it is extremely expensive and politically unpopular. These problems, if not addressed, can cause tension between countries.

Approximate Word count = 2758
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.