Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
last for hundreds of years. The downside of coal is its high carbon content, a topic to be dis-
cussed later.
Much debate is currently focused on when the so-called peak oil and gas might occur. This
is when the oil and gas extraction rate starts to fall and occurs well before resources run out.
It is important because it signals that demand will most likely not be fully met, with prices
rising signifi cantly as a consequence. Certainly the UK's North Sea reserves of oil and gas
are fast declining with peak extraction having already occurred in 2003. Given the enormous
investment in extraction and supply infrastructure, and the profi ts to be made, it would be
surprising if those with vested interests did not work hard to maintain confi dence in these
sources.
Fuel for nuclear fi ssion is not unlimited and several decades ago this has prompted interest
in the fast breeder reactor which in effect extends the life of the fuel. However, the political
dangers inherent in the fast breeder cycle, with its production of weapons grade plutonium,
has limited its development to a few prototype reactors which had major operational problems
and are now defunct. The lifetime of uranium reserves for conventional fi ssion at current
usage has been estimated by some as around 50 years, but such calculations are very depen-
dent on assumptions. If an extremely high ore price is tolerable, then very low grades of
uranium ore can be considered as possible reserves. The DTI cites OECD/NEA 'Red Book'
fi gures to claim that based on 2004 generation levels, known uranium reserves (at $130/kg)
will last for around 85 years (see References [1] and [2]).
1.1.4 Energy Security and Disparity of Use
Energy security is a major concern worldwide. A large part of the world's oil is located in
the Middle East and other politically unstable countries. The confl ict between ' Western ' and
'Islamic' cultures is at present exacerbating the anxiety over reliability of energy supply.
Russia is a major producer of gas but recent events in Ukraine have made European countries
aware how dependent they are on this single source. The USA is the world's largest consumer
of energy and is heavily dependent on imported oil. With economic growth seen as being
intrinsically linked to cheap fuel it is diffi cult to imagine political parties, in the USA or
elsewhere, proposing policies that require voters to drastically curtail their consumption and
therefore alter their lifestyles.
Another disturbing aspect is the disparity in consumption between rich and poor countries:
the richest billion people on the planet consume over 50% of all energy, while the poorest
billion consume around 4%. This is an added source of tension and of accusations that the
developed countries are profl igate in the use of energy. To excuse this high consumption on
grounds of high industrial activity is simply wrong. Japan, for example, is the world's second
largest economy but has a per capita energy consumption half that of the US.
1.2 The Environmental Impact of Energy Use
1.2.1 The Problem
Fossil fuels have one thing in common: they all create carbon dioxide when burnt. They are
a key part of the Earth's long term carbon cycle, having been laid down in geological periods
