Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table
.
Coal reserves and consumption
Known reserves
(billions of tons)
Consumption
(billions of tons)
Country
United States
.
(
-
%)
Russia
.
(
þ
%)
China
.
(
þ
%)
India
.
(
þ
%)
Australia
.
(
-
%)
South Africa
.
(
%)
þ
Rest of world
.
(
-
%)
World total
.
(
þ
%)
Source: DOE Energy Information Agency
to shut down its nuclear power stations, is substituting
coal and nuclear electricity purchased from France. Using
the EIA
% per year growth in demand starting now,
the coal reserve will run out in the year
.
, but if the
current
.
% per year trend continues it will run out in
. Perhaps there is much more coal; reserves are hard
to estimate. Still, there should be little problem with
supply in the
first half of this century.
.
Conclusion
The world can (if it wishes) continue its pro
igate use of
fossil energy for the next
years. Beyond that there is
only uncertainty. If the reserve estimates discussed above
are anywhere near correct, supplies of fossil fuel will
become harder to come by and more expensive as the
more dif
cult unconventional reserves begin to be tapped
on a larger scale. In addition, there is no substitute for
some kind of carbon-based material
in production of
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