94025 Recent news stories about the California energy supply, expected rise of global temperature, and proposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remind us of the conflicts inherent in the absolute dependence of our technological world on fossil fuels. In the US about 88 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuel combustion. Although US per capita consumption of petroleum is significantly less than it was in 1977, growth of the US population has more than offset gains in efficiency, and total US energy consumption is up significantly.
Coal consumption is at an all-time high.
Worldwide, demand for refined petroleum, especially in Asia, is rising rapidly, and energy consumption is widely viewed as the engine of economic progress. The availability of crude oil and natural gas is a critical part of any calculation of future carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Of this consumption, almost seven billion barrels per year is consumed in the United States, while California accounts for about one tenth of the national total. About half the petroleum used in the United States is imported by tanker. United States consumption of natural gas is about 22 Tcf per year, and is expected to rise with demand for cleaner electricity generation.