Are we going to face energy crisis in near future?

Question

Since petroleum deposit will be finished in a couple of years, we will probably face severe energy crisis. What will happen after that? nuclear energy has its danger. What other source of energy seems to be promising (less polluting and less hazardous)? Another issue is that other metals deposited inside earth will also be finished someday. What will the civilisation look like then? How soon might these happen?

Answer 1

IF you consider petroleum as the only source for energy then yes we have a though road ahead, But new energy sources like controlled nuclear, Bio fuels, Solar, Hydrogen fuels. All these will have us going for long. As far as metals what comes out has to and will go in. So I think we are safe for this century but we have to think about the future.

Answer 2

You're right. But, the crisis will come in about 30-50 years. We have petroleum reserves for about that much time. We have coal reserves for about 200-300 years. The typical alternative sources of energy can never supply the world's demand (as it is today). Nuclear is the only practical solution, but does as you note have severe problems. However, it takes 10-13 years to build a new plant, and the US hasn't built any new ones in more than 20 years, and none are currently in the approval cycle. And, the US will need 100-200 of them to make a dent in the foreign oil demand. Europe is proceeding towards nuclear quickly. Japan, even with the recent problem, is going to build more plants.

Gas prices will continue to climb at an alarming rate ... 20% or more per year, which means it will double every 4 years ($7.00 by 2011 is my guess).

If that's not enough, the world's population doubles about every 35-40 years.

The world will look very different by 2025 ... shortages of oil, food. And, population increase by 60%.

Answer 3

Oh my gosh...so many answers from so many great intellectuals!

Why are we toeing the line of doomsday scientists???
Please, think rationally. These are the same scientists who had predicted the global warming will erase half of the world population by the year 2000. The same ones also said that a massive meteor will hit the surface of the earth & parts of south america & africa will perish. The list is endless....

The earth is self sustainable & the so called 'non-renewable resources' are also renewable (though petroleum deposits occur only after 500,000 years from the decomposition of fossils) & will be available in plenty - remember 'Energy can neither be created nor destroyed'.

The balance of nature can never be manipulated. Moreover, human beings have already plenty of substitutes for energy like Solar, Thermal, Bio-fuel, Nulcear, etc. The only reason that these new resources & methods have not been introduced on a large scale is that it will adversely affect the ongoing businesses.

For eg. Electric cars with higher efficiency & mileage will not be introduced into mainstream market until the demand & capacity to supply the average fuel car completely dies out. It's a purely profit making mentality in today's world.

Got it...so stop worrying about energy crisis. But, that doesn't mean we must stop caring for our environment.

Answer 4

I think we will face an energy crisis soon, but maybe not as soon as 2 years and not because petroleum runs out. The crisis will be due to the fact that China (and India too) are getting richer very fast and they are buying up all the spare petroleum in the world. Soon, the demand will outpace the supply and prices will go way up. So it won’t be due to less petroleum in the world, it will be due to more users competing for the same amount of petroleum in the world that causes the shortage.

Answer 5

Oil is a finite resource. The reserves from ancient carbon based fossil fuels will run out much faster then they can be replaced because it simply takes so long for them to break down into oil. That being said Canada supposedly has oil mixed in with the sedimentary rock that can be extracted, although it is very expensive, and supposedly has more oil from this then Saudi Arabia. If oil prices continue to climb (read US, China and India) this may become viable.

The answer is that we dont change until it starts to hit our wallets. When hybrids and bio diesel become much cheaper, people's greed will force them to change.

The most promising sources of energy are as follows:
Nuclear
Tidal Wave Energy (the tides produce enough energy to power the world many times over)
Continued advances in Solar
Cellulostic based Ethanol (13 times energy output to input, gasoline is 5 to 1)

For the second part of your question I believe we are going to see more and more changes in the types of materials we use in order to conserve, also metal is relatively easy to recycle. Bamboo is a good example of a wood that you will see more and more of as it is very easy to replenish, plant to harvest is like 6 months.

"Civilization" may look a lot different.

Answer 6

You are right. Near future we must have a remedy or alternative energy to fill the gap. Recently the 'Bio-diesel' discovered by scientist is a little hope for us. I read some news that Karnataka state RTC buses are tried it and sucessfully running on the roads. The Bio-diesel is less polluting and non-hazardous.

But your further issue regarding metals is concerned that 90% of the metal in use can be recycled and can be used in future and we are not having any such threats in future. But when it concerned with petroleum deposits they can not be recycled.

Answer 7

1."petroleum deposit will be finished in a couple of years"--the couple of years is at the least 50decades or so...

2."nuclear energy has its danger"--every method of industrialization has its pros n cons...by burning fossil fuels u wil have problems in long run..with nuclear energy its in immediate format..compared to thermal power stations u have pollution in mining/ore-refining/burning/ash disposal with low efficiency of power production..nuclear energy is much more effcient than thermal power plants n pollution is only during mining n storage of radio active residue..

3.
"..What other source of energy seems to be promising (less polluting and less hazardous)? .."

(a). Water Energy
(b). Solar Energy
(c). Geothermal
(d). Bioenergy
(e)wind energy

also at present combined power cycles are being built..

4."other metals deposited inside earth will also be finished someday"..dont worry by then we will have enough scrap to remelt n use it..just joking

scientist have foun methods n ad are devicing ways to get bacteria to decompose scraps into elemental forms..it is beinig funded by the E.U.



"...shape something for tommorow today..
tommorow is a gateway to yet another dream..
let no boundaries stop your imagination..

because when the mind has seen it
the eyes will see it soon....."

Answer 8

Need is the mother of all inventions. Many Research are going on and very soon some alternative energy source will develop which can cater our future high energy requirement at cheaper cost.

Answer 9

yup ur saying it right we has to face energy crisis after 200 yaers b,coz commonly a fossil take a millin year to get exhaust there are more forms in earth which we can generate energy hydroelectricity, citris glow, hydrogen electricity an d lots more. but they are not satisfactory working water can be use as fuel.( honda new versionEX). nuclear energy is not dangerous if it used properely fission reaction are able to light up a continent, sun recources are most probably in use energy is present in lots of form and remember in future however , we produce new aplliances.

conservation of energy should be done but its energy crisis not affecting our our future life worthly their will be something new there we will be something new which will help us . their are more problems in our present greatest issue water crisis do we able to get pure water in our future

Answer 10

YES we are definitely going to face a energy crisis. The energy demand keeps on increasing that's why i say we will have a crisis if there is no steps to prevent it