ERC: Lesson - Distribution of Natural Energy Resources (Topic 6.4) đź“–
⏳ Estimated Reading Time: 6 - 8 minutes
Identify where natural energy resources occur.
Distribution of Energy Resources
The global distribution of natural energy sources is anything but even around the planet. Some countries have an over-abundance of energy resources while others are heavily reliant on other countries for their energy resources. Yet almost every country uses fossil fuels and some countries, like the United States, use a lot of fossil fuels. Countries that have more energy than they need can choose to export their surplus energy and make a profit. Countries that cannot produce enough of their own energy to meet their country’s needs must import energy which can be costly in more ways than one. This can lead to conflicts and strife when the “haves” and “have nots” bump heads on the world stage.
Explore the tabs to learn more about the distribution of fossil fuels. Any surprises? Which fuel does the United States have in abundance? Which do we have the least?
By the end of the 1800s, coal had become the dominant fuel and remained dominant until the 1940s. In the 1920s, coal provided 80% of all energy in the United States. Mining coal involved thousands of jobs and transportation of coal was big business for railroads.
By 1990 China was the world’s leading producer of coal, providing about 80% of China’s electricity, compared to only 49% of the electricity in the United States. In the United States, about 88% of coal is used to heat water in electric power plants.
Explore the interactive below to learn more about the changes in worldwide coal production since 1900:China and India, the two world’s most populous countries, both have populations of over 1 billion humans and it’s quite fortunate that both have significant coal reserves since both are heavy users of coal. Heavy use of coal as an energy resource, however, is tied to air pollution and both countries struggle with this issue. The United States also has significant coal reserves.
Explore the map below to see which countries have the most coal reserves and which have the fewest:
Petroleum/Oil
In the late 1800s, liquid fossil fuel in the form of petroleum rose on the energy scene. The first oil well was completed in 1859 by Edwin L. Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Once the internal combustion engine was developed, oil products found widespread use in society.
By 1951 crude oil was the dominant source of energy in the United States. Now, it makes up approximately 40% of our energy consumption in the United States and 34% of energy consumption globally. When it comes to daily production, the United States ranks near the top when compared to all other countries.
U.S. citizens use a significant amount of petroleum products per person on a daily basis which helps account for the high level of daily production needed to keep up with demand:
The United States, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq dominate the production of petroleum. Because oil is such a valuable commodity, when countries are at war, those that have a lot of oil can and do refuse to sell oil to those they are fighting. You may recall the energy crisis that developed in the 1970s that occurred due to a conflict between Israel and several countries in the Middle East. This crisis ended up created major headaches in the United States, leading to gas rationing and other measures taken up to try to deal with fuel shortages.
Oil sources, like coal, are not evenly distributed around the planet. When trying to gauge how much oil exists, we look at proven reserves, oil that can obtained economically from an oil field, and estimated reserves, educated guesses as to where and how much oil or natural gas might be found. Unfortunately, petroleum supplies fall far short of meeting the demand in the United States.
Explore the map below to see which countries have the most oil reserves, and which countries have the fewest:
The United States used to have more oil reserves, but we have used much of our reserves. We are finding ways to extract more oil from these reserves, but we still are the largest user of oil in the world, even though we are not close to the most populous country in the world.
Natural Gas
Worldwide, almost four times as much gas is likely to be available as oil. Unfortunately, most of the natural gas is relatively inaccessible and difficult to transport. Russia and Iran lead the world in natural gas reserves. The next three countries are Qatar, Turkmenistan, and the United States.
Explore the map below to see which countries have the most and least gas reserves:
Natural gas accounts for more than 25% of energy consumption. The United States is the world’s largest user of natural gas. About 16.5% of our natural gas is imported and most of it that is from Canada. Natural gas production in the United States has increased dramatically due to hydraulic fracking, also known simply as “fracking.”
Explore the map below to see which areas produce the most natural gas:
Even a switch to renewable energy will not solve the problem of energy resource distribution. Some countries have better solar energy potential than others. Some countries have better geothermal resources. Some countries have higher wind power potential than others. In short, countries will necessarily have to share energy resources in the future and when this is not possible, citizens will potentially suffer.
The global distribution of natural energy resources, such as ores, coal, crude oil, and gas, is not uniform and depends on regions' geologic history.
You should know the impacts of the unequal distribution of natural energy resources.
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