"Anyone searching for evidence that we are transitioning to a system
based on renewable sources of energy will be sorely disappointed by the
projections in the 2013 International Energy Outlook. Although
the share of world energy provided by fossil fuels is expected to
decline from 84% in 2010 to 78% in 2040, it will still tower over all
other forms of energy. In fact, in 2040 the projected share of global
energy consumption provided by each of the fossil fuels (28% for oil,
27% for coal, and 23% for gas) will exceed that of renewables, nuclear,
and hydropower combined (21%) ... At present, most of our oil, coal, and natural gas still comes from
“conventional” sources -- deposits close to the surface, close to shore,
and within easy reach of transportation and processing facilities. But
these reservoirs are being depleted at a rapid pace and by 2040 -- or
so the Department of Energy’s report tells us -- will be unable to
supply more than a fraction of our needs. Increasingly, fossil fuel
supplies will be of an “unconventional” character
-- materials hard to refine and/or acquired from deposits deep
underground, far from shore, or in relatively inaccessible locations.
These include Canadian tar sands, Venezuelan extra-heavy crude, shale
gas, deep-offshore oil, and Arctic energy ... Make no mistake about it, though: the major fossil fuel producers -- the
world’s giant oil, gas, and coal corporations -- are hardly going to
acquiesce to this shift without a fight. Given their staggering profits
and their determination to perpetuate the fossil-fuel era for as a long
as possible, they will employ every means at their command to postpone
the age of renewables."
Zum Artikel von Prof. Michael T. Klare, erschienen auf Tomdispatch (10. September 2013) »
Zum Artikel von Prof. Michael T. Klare, erschienen auf Tomdispatch (10. September 2013) »
