Energy and the Environment: Our Current Situation

Transcription

1 Energy and the Environment: Our Current Situation Mark E. Lyford, Department of Botany James D. Myers, Department of Geology & Geophysics University of Wyoming

2 How much energy do you use each day?

3 How much energy did you use to get here?

4 How much energy did you use to get here?

5 How much energy would you have used each day back in 1869?

6 How much energy would you have used to get here back in 1869?

7 How much impact do we have on the environment currently vs. 1869?

8 Energy and the Environment

9 Energy and the Environment Past energy use

10 Energy and the Environment Past energy use Current energy use

11 Energy and the Environment Past energy use Current energy use Current energy situation

12 Energy and the Environment Past energy use Current energy use Current energy situation Future of energy

13 Energy and the Environment Past energy use Current energy use Current energy situation Future of energy Connections between energy and the environment

14 Quadrillion Btu U.S. Energy History 40 U.S. Energy Consumption by Source Petroleum Coal Hydroelectric Power Natural Gas Nuclear Electric Power Wood

15 U.S. Energy Flow, 1950 ~ 34 Quads of Energy

16 Energy Supply (Quads) Energy Consumption U.S. Energy Flow, 2007 Exports 5.4 Quads Domestic Production: 71.7 Quads Consumption: Quads Imports: 34.6 Quads Adjustments ~1 ~ 100 Quads of Energy

17 U.S. Energy Flow, 2007

18 U.S. Energy Flow

19 Energy Efficiency an example

20 Current U.S. Energy consumption

21 Current U.S. Energy consumption Fossil fuels account for ca. 87% of all energy used

22 Current U.S. Energy consumption Fossil fuels account for ca. 87% of all energy used Energy use is growing quickly

23 Current U.S. Energy consumption Fossil fuels account for ca. 87% of all energy used Energy use is growing quickly Efficiency is not so good

24 How does the U.S. Compare to Others?

25 Petroleum Consumption

26 Electrical Consumption

27 What does the future of energy look like?

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30 Population Growth

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33 Can the Traditional Energy Resources Continue to Support Us?

34 Petroleum Reserves

35 Peak Oil

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37 U.S. Coal Deposits

38 U.S. Coal Production

39 Peak Coal

40 The Rise and Fall of the Fossil Fuel Era

41 Challenges of the Post-Fossil Fuel Era

42 Energy Density

43 Energy sources have best fits to particular energy sectors

44 Hydrocarbon Recovery Conventional Reservoirs are typically small volumes but they are easy to develop Unconventional Reservoirs are often large volumes but they are difficult to develop Decreasing EROEI

45 Shale gas

46 Tar Sands

47 NSA Energy Wedges

48 NSA Energy Wedges

49 NSA Energy Wedges

50 NSA Energy Wedges

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53 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

54 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

55 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

56 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

57 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

58 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

59 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

60 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

61 Post-Fossil Fuel Era Options

62 Will we be able to meet our future energy needs?

63 It s the Environment, Stupid!

64 Coal

65 Hydrocarbon Recovery and the Environment Accessing Conventional Reservoirs requires minimal environmental degradation Accessing Unconventional Reservoirs requires significant environmental degradation

66 Coalbed Methane

67 Tar Sands

68 Shale gas

69 Environmental Impacts?

70 As fossil fuel use increased, so did...

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75 Stabilization Wedges: Two Emission Scenarios Define the Stabilization Triangle 7 wedges are needed to build the stabilization triangle. Each avoids 1 billion tons of carbon emissions per year by

76 The Wedge Stabilization Game Pieces

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78 If only it were just energy and the environment.

79 If only it were just energy and the environment. Energy and the environment have been and will continue to be inextricably tied to a myriad of social parameters (e.g., politics, human health, economics)

80 Positive Climate Characteristics Power Sector (this size corresponds to 20 B kwh) Transport Sector (this size corresponds to 100,000 barrels of oil per day) 80 80

81 Lithium for hybrid car batteries NY Times Lithium: February 3, 2009 Bounty Meets Nationalism By SIMON ROMERO In Bolivia, Untapped UYUNI, BOLIVIA In the rush to build the next generation of hybrid or electric cars, a sobering fact confronts both automakers and governments seeking to lower their reliance on foreign oil: almost half of the world s lithium, the mineral needed to power the vehicles, is found here in Bolivia a country that may not be willing to surrender it so easily. Japanese and European companies are busily trying to strike deals to tap the resource, but a nationalist sentiment about the lithium is building quickly in the government of President Evo Morales, an ardent critic of the United States who has already nationalized Bolivia s oil and natural gas industries.

82 Energy and the Environment

83 Energy and the Environment Is this a timely and relevant topic for our students?

84 Energy and the Environment Is this a timely and relevant topic for our students? Is this a topic that our students will be wrestling with in the future?

85 Energy and the Environment Is this a timely and relevant topic for our students? Is this a topic that our students will be wrestling with in the future? Is this a topic that likely requires students to use quantitative reasoning?

86 Energy and the Environment Is this a timely and relevant topic for our students? Is this a topic that our students will be wrestling with in the future? Is this a topic that likely requires students to use quantitative reasoning? Is this a topic that connects science and society?

87 Energy and the Environment Is this a timely and relevant topic for our students? Is this a topic that our students will be wrestling with in the future? Is this a topic that likely requires students to use quantitative reasoning? Is this a topic that connects science and society? Is this a multidisciplinary topic?

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