GLOBAL ENERGY CRISIS: THEN AND NOW Global Energy Crisis: Then and Now Introduction The world today faces an energy crisis. The world is dependent on certain natural resources like oil and natural gas that are quickly depleting. These resources are being imported from countries that have the ability to set higher prices due to demand (Nef 1977). Because of this, the world faces a great recession, and like Britain in the second half of the 16th century, we need to find alternative sources of energy. Britain found itself in an energy crisis and was on the brink of a recession however they were able to exploit a new means of energy and revitalize their country and situation. The purpose of this paper is to show similarities between …show more content…
Complaints of deforestation came from all parts of the kingdom. This hurt the Britain economy and way of life as Britain was forced to find other materials for energy, and started using coal as a resource (Nef 1977). Using coal revitalized the economy and the necessity of use created many new inventions and opportunities for the country, and ultimately the world. Like Britain, many countries of today’s world are dependent on wood also. Countries still use wood as a means of building and for heat. Wood is also cut and exported as a means of revenue and like Britain, the United States and other countries are now faced with deforestation (Nef 1977). The data compiled by the World Preservation Foundation (WPF, 2010), reveals that the planet has already lost 80 percent of its forest due to deforestation, and going by the alarming rate at which the trees are cut, it will not take much time for that figure to reach the 100 percent mark (Nef 1977). In the same way Britain was forced to find other alternatives, the United States and other countries must expand their resources and find new ways. With Britain fighting the effects of deforestation, they had to find another source of energy. Coal had been discovered, but was not used much. Coal miners
The use of coal which is most common today started in the 700’s CE and it is the use of coal as an energy source. Though not officially used as a heat source until the 1100’s CE, many methods of burning it for protective smoke were used. While the use of coal for heat was cheaper than wood, the side effects of it shortly began to show. As the mass used of coal came to be, the price of it rose sharply as up to ½ of lower class family wages were used only for the minimal amount of coal needed to survive harsh cold months. London also grew dependent on coal and many signs were showing just why this statement was true. The coal smoke smudged the city and thick black clouds could be seen from miles away surrounding London. These plus other negative effects of coal explains how the misuse of coal led to more negative occurrences than positive and beneficial use it gave.
Coal became the fuel that fired the furnaces of the nation, transforming the Appalachian region socially and economically. Unfortunately mountain people didn't realize the implications of their mineral wealth. Many sold their land and mineral rights for pennies an acre to outlanders. Appalachians became laborers rather than entrepreneurs. Coal became a major industry which was extremely sensitive to outside fluctuations in the economy, leading to boom and bust cycles. The industry was controlled by interests outside the region, so that little of the profit remained or was reinvested.
Initially, charcoal and wood were used a fuel source, but as those resources became scarce, coal became a necessity. As shown in Document 1, England was fortunate enough to have a readily available coal supply that other countries in Europe were not able to have. As England became industrialized, more coal was needed to fuel steam engines and furnaces. The development of factories and the improvement of the steam engine also increased the demand for coal. As a result, coal mines that were once mined at the surface, now got deeper and deeper, and there was too much water to safely get more coal. When the Newcomen engine was put into use at the coal mines, coal was put into the steam engine to pump more coal out. Similarly almost every other piece of technology in that time period used coal as the main fuel source so the need for coal skyrocketed. Document 4 explains how England had the natural conditions necessary to succeed such as coal, which is a major reason the Industrial Revolution started in England and not in any other
England had many natural resources that helped them in the industrial revolution. They had coal, iron, wool, cotton, lead, and tin. All of these were somewhat close to each other, most in the southern part of England.(doc. 1)
At the beginning of the year the President of the United States announced that the United States was in the middle of a nation wide energy crisis. The President gave many solutions including using more solar and wind energy, nuclear power, and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The President told the American people that they would have to watch their energy use and conserve as much as possible. Gas prices reached $2 per gallon in the Midwest for the second straight summer, and California continued to be hit by unprecedented power woes that forced rolling blackouts. The price of crude oil rose sharply, from around $10 a barrel to a peak of $37. The
The Industrial Revolution affected Europe’s surpassing of other nations in a huge way. Europe’s population increase influenced significant economic adjustments across the nation such as the demand for industrial goods and resources. Britain brought the way of industrialization introducing manufacturing businesses and more urbanized societies. This significant change brought industrialization throughout all other European countries. Britain was the height of resources such as coal and iron, which were also at a high demand across the world. Technology began to advance as iron and copper became the common use of new tools and machinery making Britain’s metal production globally dependent upon across the
The 1970s energy crisis was a problem in the 1970s, because it caused panic in America. So many people, at that time were depended on oil, to keep their cars running. What caused the panic, started when an oil embargo was imposed. This oil embargo was imposed by the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC). Shortly after the embargo was a announced, only three months later oil prices shot up from $3 per barrel to $12.
In Brighton, England on January 3, 1758, Julio Jones was born. I was born into the middle to lower class and lived just outside the country side where all the quarry and mines were. My father, Jacoby Jones, worked in the mines while I went to school. My father always told me that coal was a vital ore to mine when he was in the mines, and it helped make early versions of the steam engines. Britain was lucky to have lots of coal and used it to their advantage. Not only that, but because of the location of Britain, it had many ports for all the resources to be traded. People could use their raw materials like coal to trade for made materials. Also, in 1709, Abraham Darby used coal instead of charcoal to smelt ores which increased the quality of
Energy is a daily consumption that everybody uses in their daily lives. As a nation, we as modern people in the United States rely heavily upon energy sources such as oil, wind, thermal, natural, solar, hydraulic, etc. During the 70s, energy was a booming industry that everybody wanted to be a part of. This industry affected people 's way of living and everyday use of technology such as house appliances, automobiles, industry, and city power grids. During this era, an energy crisis occurred which had a big impact on many people nationally and internationally. This energy crisis was the result of the production peak in the 1970s, the oil crisis of 1973, and the energy crisis of 1979.
Britain’s land contained vast resources such as iron and coal. The iron was used to build machines, ships
Coal has many uses including steel production, cement manufacturing, and as liquid fuel. Soap, aspirin, dyes, and plastics contain coal or coal byproducts, but the most important role of coal, and how coal has shaped our world, is the energy produced when it is burned. Coal played an important role in creating the quality of life enjoyed today throughout the world and coal will continue to contribute to society. (Helman, 2014).
The United States is in an energy crisis. We rely almost solely on crude oil for most of our “gasoline” needs, meaning our fuels. The issue with our current reliance on crude oil is, plainly, that it is running out. We don’t currently have enough crude oil production in the US to support our current demand, so we are forced to import oil from overseas. And, we import a lot of it. With a gas demand of roughly 134 billion gallons per year, there exists a large risk relying on a fuel that is unsustainable and imported from overseas. Our country has the capability of greatly reducing our dependence on foreign oil, perhaps to the point where we would not have any need to import oil from overseas. With the use of our own crude oil, natural gas, and other alternative fuels, the United States can become nearly completely self-sustainable in terms of fuels. Moreover, becoming self-sustainable can have an effect of reducing geopolitical tensions particularly with regard to relations in the Middle East, the world’s largest producer and exporter of oil.
At the time, it was very common that coal mines have to removes excess water from under the ground, and as mines started to make use of the steam engine to increase productivity, the iron industry benefitted greatly with the excess fuel for smelting and other processes. As producton increased and innovation continued, the problem arrose that these machines where able to do the job of many men so much faster, a surplus of goods that where not needed came about, and people began to lose money as they couldnt sell their products. New ways of transportation where needed to transport goods aswell as supply factories and farmers globally. Canals where dug and connected to rivers to create new trade routes. Railways where also being built at a fast pace when George Stephenson invented The locomotive.
Throughout the century British coal had become increasingly costly and difficult to mine. Nationalization in 1948 had not altered this. Indeed, there was a case for saying that lack of government investment since that date had added to the problem. For some time Britain had been importing coal from abroad. With the exception of few pits producing particular types of coal, British mines by the 1970s were running at loss.
First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with many deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In addition, Britain was situated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade.