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Nuclear Energy In Brazil Essay

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The global rates of energy consumption have been on the rise, with developed nations consuming more energy than the developing nations. The increasing rates of global energy consumption are largely driven by the high rate of population growth in developing countries as well as increased industrialization efforts in these countries. According to the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA) (2015), the consumption patterns for countries inside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are relatively stable compared to those outside the organization. EIA estimates that the primary energy consumption for OECD countries will grow at a rate of 0.5% per year between 2010 and 2040. However, developed nations, led by the US,…show more content…
Apart from being one of the leading energy consumers on the globe, the country is also an important energy producer.
Over the past few years, Brazil has increased its domestic oil production, reaching 2.95 barrels per day in 2014. The key energy sources in Brazil include fossil fuels, hydropower, mineral coal as well as nuclear power. Fossil fuels account for 60% of the country’s energy supply. Biomass and hydropower are the second largest sources of energy in Brazil accounting for approximately 40% of the total energy. On the other hand, nuclear energy represents a very little percentage of the total energy production at 2% (EIA, 2015).
Despite having one of the highest rates of energy consumption in the world, Brazil has a relatively lower rate of greenhouse gas emission. The key sources of emission in the country include deforestation, agriculture, energy production as well as industries. Agriculture accounts for the highest levels of emissions followed by the fast growing energy sector. The agricultural sector is one of the largest in the country accounting a large portion of the country’s GDP. The country is among the leaders in agriculture. Some of the agricultural products exported by the country include coffee, sugar as well as beef (El Dahr,
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