Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 6.2
Proven oil reserves in countries with at least 10 billion barrels. Summary of
Reserve Data as of 2008
Reserves
Production
Reserve life
1
Country
109 bbl
109 m3
106 bbl/d
103 m3/d
years
Saudi Arabia*
267
42.4
10.2
1,620
72
Canada
179
28.5
3.3
520
149
Iran*
138
21.9
4.0
640
95
Iraq*
115
18.3
2.1
330
150
Kuwait*
104
16.5
2.6
410
110
United Arab
Emirates*
98
15.6
2.9
460
93
Venezuela
2
*
95
15.1
2.7
430
88
Russia
60
9.5
9.9
1,570
17
Libya*
41
6.5
1.7
270
66
Nigeria*
36
5.7
2.4
380
41
Kazakhstan
30
4.8
1.4
220
59
United States
21
3.3
7.5
1,190
8
China
16
2.5
3.9
620
11
Qatar*
15
2.4
0.9
140
46
Algeria*
12
1.9
2.2
350
15
Brazil
12
1.9
2.3
370
14
Mexico
12
1.9
3.5
560
9
Total of top
seventeen
reserves
1,243
197.6
63.5
10,100
54
Notes
: 1. Reserve-to-production ratio (in years), calculated as reserves / annual
production. (from above). * = OPEC countries.
2. Source: BP Statistical Review, 2009.
sea routes worldwide ($100 billion per year), to which can be added
the cost of the current war in Iraq that currently totals $750 billion. If
there were no oil in the Middle East or if the United States were self-
suffi cient in energy, the military costs would disappear. The United States
would be as concerned about Middle East dictatorships and the people
they oppress as it currently is about the people of Myanmar and Dar-
fur—verbal hand-wringing but nothing that costs much money. This is
the way international politics typically operates.
It is noteworthy that in the thirty-fi ve years since the Arab oil embargo
of 1973, which had terrible effects on the American economy, President
Jimmy Carter has been the only president who pushed for a change in
