Home
News
In Focus
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Forum emphasizes BRI cooperation between China and Arab countries
Rights to lower sleeper berths should be softened by empathy for fellow passengers
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Home » Opinion » Book review
Wake up - tech can't solve energy crisis
By Wu Jiayin |
January 17, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
"Future Energy'' author Bill Paul appears to be one of those over-optimistic Americans who believe their current high-energy-consuming way of living can well be sustained by a technology revolution.
While Paul does give a detailed and factual analysis of the gloomy future for oil supply, his excessive enthusiasm for promising alternatives - biofuels and unconventional fossil fuels in particular - to oil is not as recommendable.
His enthusiasm for those alternatives is understandable given the fact that the book is more of an investment guide than an academic work addressing the energy crisis.
Yet it is disappointing that as a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter, Paul fails to identify the ultimate solution to the energy insufficiency - leading a less energy-consuming life.
Paul is right in stating that energy resources will grow scarcer and get more expensive.
Some experts predict oil production could max out between 2010 and 2040. Yet the demand is still increasing at an unprecedented pace, in developed countries and developing countries alike.
There are also other factors that would push oil prices, such as wars.
Paul notes that if the cost of military deployments to keep oil routes open and other economic externalities is included in the price of a gallon of gasoline, in the US its actual cost per gallon in 2006 would have been US$11 instead of about US$2.50.
For this reason, scientists worldwide are looking for alternatives, which appear to Paul promising enough to create a new oil industry.
He sings the praises of two main types of liquid alternatives to oil - unconventional fossil fuels and biofuels.
In terms of biofuels, Paul explains that the most well-known ethanol made from sugar, corn or wheat - which raised great public concern for food security - is just the first-generation biofuel.
It is soon to be supplanted by cellulosic ethanol, made from nonedible materials, including garbage, and biobutanol, an alcohol product made from grains or cellulose, Paul argues.
However, it is unknown how much traditional energy resources will be consumed in the process of converting things like garbage into new energy resources, not to mention the costs of developing the technology.
In addition, a stable population is the first requirement for a sustainable economy. In the US that means they have to take aggressive steps to reduce their population.
The energy crisis is already looming large now though the majority of the world's population consumes much less energy than average Americans.
Just imagine if everyone in the world consumes as much as Americans.
While Paul does give a detailed and factual analysis of the gloomy future for oil supply, his excessive enthusiasm for promising alternatives - biofuels and unconventional fossil fuels in particular - to oil is not as recommendable.
His enthusiasm for those alternatives is understandable given the fact that the book is more of an investment guide than an academic work addressing the energy crisis.
Yet it is disappointing that as a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter, Paul fails to identify the ultimate solution to the energy insufficiency - leading a less energy-consuming life.
Paul is right in stating that energy resources will grow scarcer and get more expensive.
Some experts predict oil production could max out between 2010 and 2040. Yet the demand is still increasing at an unprecedented pace, in developed countries and developing countries alike.
There are also other factors that would push oil prices, such as wars.
Paul notes that if the cost of military deployments to keep oil routes open and other economic externalities is included in the price of a gallon of gasoline, in the US its actual cost per gallon in 2006 would have been US$11 instead of about US$2.50.
For this reason, scientists worldwide are looking for alternatives, which appear to Paul promising enough to create a new oil industry.
He sings the praises of two main types of liquid alternatives to oil - unconventional fossil fuels and biofuels.
In terms of biofuels, Paul explains that the most well-known ethanol made from sugar, corn or wheat - which raised great public concern for food security - is just the first-generation biofuel.
It is soon to be supplanted by cellulosic ethanol, made from nonedible materials, including garbage, and biobutanol, an alcohol product made from grains or cellulose, Paul argues.
However, it is unknown how much traditional energy resources will be consumed in the process of converting things like garbage into new energy resources, not to mention the costs of developing the technology.
In addition, a stable population is the first requirement for a sustainable economy. In the US that means they have to take aggressive steps to reduce their population.
The energy crisis is already looming large now though the majority of the world's population consumes much less energy than average Americans.
Just imagine if everyone in the world consumes as much as Americans.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
