The End of Energy Obesity
Encyclopedia
The End of Energy Obesity: Breaking Today's Energy Addiction for a Prosperous and Secure Tomorrow by Calgary
-based energy economist Peter Tertzakian
outlines the unsustainable nature of current global energy demand growth and identifies potential solutions, many of which come unexpectedly from outside of the energy sector. The metaphor
in the title invokes a parallel between the elevated incidences of excessive eating and energy consumption in wealthy nations, predominantly in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD). Whereas physical obesity
can undermine a person’s wellness and overall health, energy obesity is more abstract, making itself known on a regional or national level by way of increased geopolitical
, environmental
and economic pressures
. The author borrows the vocabulary of appetite and desire to explicate phenomena in the sphere of energy economics
without, however, passing moral judgment on the actual practice of excessive consumption.
by tracing the historical relationship between technological innovation
and societal response. Tertzakian coined the term "break point" to describe both the pressures that force the displacement of an incumbent energy source and the subsequent “rebalancing” around a new energy paradigm. An important catalyst for The End of Energy Obesity appears to be the author’s conviction that the world is currently in the midst of a break point of prodigious significance where oil
, "the gold standard of energy utility" (p. 101), will see its market preeminence undermined. Signs of break point pressures are legion and include: the triple digit crude oil prices reached in 2008, accelerated economic growth in the populous BRIC countries
, widening prevalence of legislative and fiscal measures to address assumed anthropogenic climate change
, energy independence
policymaking in support of renewable energy
and the energy-price influenced global recession
. Historical analogues to the current break point are the shift from wood
to coal
with the industrial revolution
and from coal to oil during the World War I
. The current rebalancing of the energy mix is substantively different from historical precedents. With the possible exception of natural gas
, there are still no other energy sources with adequate utility to take significant market share
from oil, let alone supplant it. The rebalancing underway will be effected only in part by an increase of supply from alternative sources
. Tertzakian believes that the cross-fertilization of information
, communication and energy technologies promises dramatic improvement in conservation practices
and energy efficiency
. He cites telepresence
technology, smart grid networks, Skype
telephony and virtualization software as potential "break point innovations" that could dramatically change energy needs by reconfiguring the ways people live, work and play.
Generally speaking, through its exploration of demand-side
opportunities to influence energy consumption patterns, The End of Energy Obesity distinguishes itself from the supply-side orientation of A Thousand Barrels a Second. Tertzakian believes that social and technological innovation will allow modern industrial society
to enjoy increasing standards of living while both decreasing energy consumption
and preserving the environment.
’s notion of "man as a perpetually wanting animal", (Energy Obesity, p. 126) Tertzakian dismisses as utopian efforts to reduce energy consumption by either coercive measures or voluntary restraint. The author divides the planet into two realms – WantingWorld and WealthyWorld – corresponding to the developing and developed world, respectively. China
and America
are quintessential examples of these contraposed worlds. This choice of terms has inadvertently led to the misconception that WealthyWorld nations have actually transcended want
ing; in fact, the WealthyWorld still remains “perpetually wanting”, but distinguishes itself from WantingWorld only by a higher per capita
gross domestic product
. The desire of WantingWorld’s five billion citizens to achieve the same high standard of living of WealthyWorld’s one billion citizens imposes an insupportable strain on the earth’s resources and ecosystems. As part of his research, the author traveled extensively throughout China. These experiences, described in extensive passages throughout the book, underscored his concern about the dire consequences for the planet as China proceeds along the glide path continuum from Wanting to WealthyWorld.
Energy obesity is, in a sense, a qualitative metric to measure humankind’s environmental impact, but it should not be confused with the more quantitatively precise term carbon footprint
. A nation’s energy appetite as well as its “energy fitness” is determined by a wide range of factors. For instance, the per capita energy needs of a cold, expansive and developed country like Canada
are considerably higher than a warm, small and less developed one like Costa Rica
.
requires per se an ever increasing energy supply. And since man is characterized as “a perpetually wanting animal” who will not voluntarily submit to a lowering of his standard of living and comfort, the possibility is ruled out of reversing economic growth for the sake of decreasing energy consumption and “energy appetite”.
To a certain extent, efforts towards raising energy efficiency
can lessen but not break the stronghold of the First Principle of Energy Consumption. Jevon’s Rule
, which states that "new modes of [fuel] economy will lead to an increase of consumption", is the classic formulation of the paradox
more commonly known as the rebound effect
(p. 119). According to this rule, energy saved through increased efficiency becomes itself a driver for more energy consumption. In this vein, Tertzakian regards efforts to raise fuel economy in automobiles
(e.g. hybrid vehicle
s like the Toyota Prius
) as highly laudable, but insufficient to truly break the grip of the First Principle. Denmark, Switzerland and Japan are held up as paragons of energy fitness. Common to their seeming success in overturning the causality of the First Principle of Energy Consumption is the forceful policymaking
of a federal government
and a willing populace.
As a conceptual tool to assess the gains available through raising efficiency, Tertzakian introduces the Asymmetry Principle
which he defines as “the lopsided relationship between how much raw energy is available at the primary source — for example, at a natural gas
well — and the small fraction of energy that is actually put to useful work at the consuming end — for example, in lighting a light bulb. The Asymmetry Principle
states that a unit of energy saved at the consumer level amplifies into multiple units of energy saved at the source. In effect, the Asymmetry Principle
exposes the high levels of inefficiency
in society’s energy systems and highlights the tremendous leverage
offered by efficiency gains and conservation in mitigating source energy consumption.” (Energy Obesity, p. 269)
, tele-offices and videoconferencing
. These technological developments are progressively obviating the need for work-related travel and dissolving the concept of distance. It is conceivable that a new socio-economic template is emerging where these communication tools become ubiquitous in work and non-work activities and bring with them the associative benefits of dramatically reduced energy consumption.
produces almost 25% less carbon dioxide
per unit of energy input than oil, not to mention almost 50% less than coal. Innovation in the area of hydraulic fracturing
has opened huge reserve potential in the area of nonconventional gas with reservoirs of various geologic types including shales
, tight gas
and coal beds
. Geologists have not arrived at any definitive numbers based on the new capabilities, but Tertzakian considers that the United States alone has 1,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of exploitable natural gas, the equivalent of 166 billion barrels of oil.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
-based energy economist Peter Tertzakian
Peter Tertzakian
Peter Tertzakian is an economist, investment strategist, author and public speaker. He is Chief Energy Economist & Managing Director at , an energy-focused private equity firm. With over 25 years in the energy industry and finance industry, Tertzakian is responsible for strategic investment research...
outlines the unsustainable nature of current global energy demand growth and identifies potential solutions, many of which come unexpectedly from outside of the energy sector. The metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
in the title invokes a parallel between the elevated incidences of excessive eating and energy consumption in wealthy nations, predominantly in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
(OECD). Whereas physical obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
can undermine a person’s wellness and overall health, energy obesity is more abstract, making itself known on a regional or national level by way of increased geopolitical
Geopolitics
Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
, environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
and economic pressures
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
. The author borrows the vocabulary of appetite and desire to explicate phenomena in the sphere of energy economics
Energy economics
Energy economics is a broad scientific subject area which includes topics related to supply and use of energy in societies. Due to diversity of issues and methods applied and shared with a number of academic disciplines, energy economics does not present itself as a self contained academic...
without, however, passing moral judgment on the actual practice of excessive consumption.
Summary
Like the author’s bestseller A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing an Energy Dependent World (2006), The End of Energy Obesity examines the energy industryEnergy industry
The energy industry is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution...
by tracing the historical relationship between technological innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
and societal response. Tertzakian coined the term "break point" to describe both the pressures that force the displacement of an incumbent energy source and the subsequent “rebalancing” around a new energy paradigm. An important catalyst for The End of Energy Obesity appears to be the author’s conviction that the world is currently in the midst of a break point of prodigious significance where oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, "the gold standard of energy utility" (p. 101), will see its market preeminence undermined. Signs of break point pressures are legion and include: the triple digit crude oil prices reached in 2008, accelerated economic growth in the populous BRIC countries
BRIC
In economics, BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development...
, widening prevalence of legislative and fiscal measures to address assumed anthropogenic climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, energy independence
Energy independence
The following articles relate to the topic of energy independence:* Energy resilience* Energy security* North American energy independence* Swedish Commission on Oil Independence* United States energy independence...
policymaking in support of renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and the energy-price influenced global recession
Global recession
A global recession is a period of global economic slowdown. The International Monetary Fund takes many factors into account when defining a global recession, but it states that global economic growth of 3 percent or less is "equivalent to a global recession".By this measure, four periods since...
. Historical analogues to the current break point are the shift from wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
to coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
with the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and from coal to oil during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The current rebalancing of the energy mix is substantively different from historical precedents. With the possible exception of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, there are still no other energy sources with adequate utility to take significant market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
from oil, let alone supplant it. The rebalancing underway will be effected only in part by an increase of supply from alternative sources
Alternative energy
Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
. Tertzakian believes that the cross-fertilization of information
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, communication and energy technologies promises dramatic improvement in conservation practices
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
and energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
. He cites telepresence
Telepresence
Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location....
technology, smart grid networks, Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
telephony and virtualization software as potential "break point innovations" that could dramatically change energy needs by reconfiguring the ways people live, work and play.
Background
In A Thousand Barrels a Second (2007), Tertzakian wrote:
[…] as global oil consumption tops one thousand barrels per second, it is clear that we are now approaching a dramatic break point in the energy cycle whose consequences will reach into every home. Even a manageable break point period like the oil shocks (19731973 oil crisisThe 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
and 19791979 energy crisisThe 1979 oil crisis in the United States occurred in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Amid massive protests, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled his country in early 1979 and the Ayatollah Khomeini soon became the new leader of Iran. Protests severely disrupted the Iranian oil...
) of the 1970s reverberated worldwide for almost 15 years until conservation policies and the introduction of new energy sources rebalanced the supplyEnergy supplyEnergy supply is the delivery of fuels or transformed fuels to point of consumption. It potentially encompasses the extraction, transmission, generation, distribution and storage of fuels...
and demand equation. In comparison, today’s predicament has the potential to be longer, more confusing, and unmanageable because there are no radical technologies or simple fuel substitutes available to solve our current issues. (Thousand Barrels, p. 7-8)
Generally speaking, through its exploration of demand-side
Demand-side
The Demand side is a term used in economics to refer to a number of things:* The demand element of a supply and demand partial equilibrium diagram, in microeconomics* The aggregate demand in an economy, in macroeconomics...
opportunities to influence energy consumption patterns, The End of Energy Obesity distinguishes itself from the supply-side orientation of A Thousand Barrels a Second. Tertzakian believes that social and technological innovation will allow modern industrial society
Industrial society
In sociology, industrial society refers to a society driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the Industrial Revolution, and replaced...
to enjoy increasing standards of living while both decreasing energy consumption
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
and preserving the environment.
The vocabulary of appetite
The End of Energy Obesity uses “the vocabulary of appetite” to frame the energy problematic in an easily accessible, yet provocative way. Citing MaslowAbraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
’s notion of "man as a perpetually wanting animal", (Energy Obesity, p. 126) Tertzakian dismisses as utopian efforts to reduce energy consumption by either coercive measures or voluntary restraint. The author divides the planet into two realms – WantingWorld and WealthyWorld – corresponding to the developing and developed world, respectively. China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are quintessential examples of these contraposed worlds. This choice of terms has inadvertently led to the misconception that WealthyWorld nations have actually transcended want
Want
The idea of want can be examined from many perspectives. In secular societies want might be considered similar to the emotion desire, which can be studied scientifically through the disciplines of psychology or sociology...
ing; in fact, the WealthyWorld still remains “perpetually wanting”, but distinguishes itself from WantingWorld only by a higher per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
. The desire of WantingWorld’s five billion citizens to achieve the same high standard of living of WealthyWorld’s one billion citizens imposes an insupportable strain on the earth’s resources and ecosystems. As part of his research, the author traveled extensively throughout China. These experiences, described in extensive passages throughout the book, underscored his concern about the dire consequences for the planet as China proceeds along the glide path continuum from Wanting to WealthyWorld.
Energy obesity is, in a sense, a qualitative metric to measure humankind’s environmental impact, but it should not be confused with the more quantitatively precise term carbon footprint
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
. A nation’s energy appetite as well as its “energy fitness” is determined by a wide range of factors. For instance, the per capita energy needs of a cold, expansive and developed country like Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
are considerably higher than a warm, small and less developed one like Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Ideas
With the First Principle of Energy Consumption, Tertzakian postulates that economic developmentEconomic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
requires per se an ever increasing energy supply. And since man is characterized as “a perpetually wanting animal” who will not voluntarily submit to a lowering of his standard of living and comfort, the possibility is ruled out of reversing economic growth for the sake of decreasing energy consumption and “energy appetite”.
To a certain extent, efforts towards raising energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
can lessen but not break the stronghold of the First Principle of Energy Consumption. Jevon’s Rule
Jevons paradox
In economics, the Jevons paradox is the proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used, tends to increase the rate of consumption of that resource...
, which states that "new modes of [fuel] economy will lead to an increase of consumption", is the classic formulation of the paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
more commonly known as the rebound effect
Rebound effect
The rebound effect, or rebound phenomenon, is the tendency of some medications, when discontinued suddenly, to cause a return of the symptoms it relieved, and that, to a degree stronger than they were before treatment first began...
(p. 119). According to this rule, energy saved through increased efficiency becomes itself a driver for more energy consumption. In this vein, Tertzakian regards efforts to raise fuel economy in automobiles
Fuel economy in automobiles
Fuel usage in automobiles refers to the fuel efficiency relationship between distance traveled by an automobile and the amount of fuel consumed....
(e.g. hybrid vehicle
Hybrid vehicle
A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...
s like the Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...
) as highly laudable, but insufficient to truly break the grip of the First Principle. Denmark, Switzerland and Japan are held up as paragons of energy fitness. Common to their seeming success in overturning the causality of the First Principle of Energy Consumption is the forceful policymaking
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
of a federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
and a willing populace.
As a conceptual tool to assess the gains available through raising efficiency, Tertzakian introduces the Asymmetry Principle
Asymmetry Principle
The Asymmetry Principle was developed by economist Peter Tertzakian, and was first presented in his book The End of Energy Obesity published in 2009. Historically, each energy crisis has brought society to a solutions crossroad: find more or use less...
which he defines as “the lopsided relationship between how much raw energy is available at the primary source — for example, at a natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
well — and the small fraction of energy that is actually put to useful work at the consuming end — for example, in lighting a light bulb. The Asymmetry Principle
Asymmetry Principle
The Asymmetry Principle was developed by economist Peter Tertzakian, and was first presented in his book The End of Energy Obesity published in 2009. Historically, each energy crisis has brought society to a solutions crossroad: find more or use less...
states that a unit of energy saved at the consumer level amplifies into multiple units of energy saved at the source. In effect, the Asymmetry Principle
Asymmetry Principle
The Asymmetry Principle was developed by economist Peter Tertzakian, and was first presented in his book The End of Energy Obesity published in 2009. Historically, each energy crisis has brought society to a solutions crossroad: find more or use less...
exposes the high levels of inefficiency
Inefficiency
The term inefficiency has several meanings depending on the context in which its used:*Algorithmic inefficiency - refers to less than optimum computer programs that might exhibit one of more of the symptoms of:** slow execution...
in society’s energy systems and highlights the tremendous leverage
Leverage (finance)
In finance, leverage is a general term for any technique to multiply gains and losses. Common ways to attain leverage are borrowing money, buying fixed assets and using derivatives. Important examples are:* A public corporation may leverage its equity by borrowing money...
offered by efficiency gains and conservation in mitigating source energy consumption.” (Energy Obesity, p. 269)
New socio-economic template
The problem of energy obesity is found, ultimately, in the very structure of the socio-economic structure or "template" of modern nations. One of Tertzakian’s most visionary theories holds that this template is about to undergo a radical transformation through the implementation of new forms of information and communication technology such as 3D immersive environments, telepresenceTelepresence
Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location....
, tele-offices and videoconferencing
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
. These technological developments are progressively obviating the need for work-related travel and dissolving the concept of distance. It is conceivable that a new socio-economic template is emerging where these communication tools become ubiquitous in work and non-work activities and bring with them the associative benefits of dramatically reduced energy consumption.
Natural gas
Consistent with the book’s prescription of a "low-carb" energy diet is the discussion about the huge supply potential of natural gas. Natural gas as a fossil fuelFossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
produces almost 25% less carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
per unit of energy input than oil, not to mention almost 50% less than coal. Innovation in the area of hydraulic fracturing
Hydraulic fracturing
Considerable controversy surrounds the current implementation of hydraulic fracturing technology in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of utilizing pressurized water, or some other liquid, to fracture rock layers and release petroleum, natural gas, or other...
has opened huge reserve potential in the area of nonconventional gas with reservoirs of various geologic types including shales
Shale gas
Shale gas is natural gas produced from shale. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has spread to potential gas shales in the rest of the world...
, tight gas
History of the petroleum industry in Canada (natural gas)
Natural gas has been used almost as long as crude oil in Canada, but its commercial development was not as rapid. This is because of special properties of this energy commodity: it is a gas, and it frequently contains impurities. The technical challenges involved to first process and then pipe it...
and coal beds
Coalbed methane
Coalbed methane or Coal Bed Methane, coalbed gas or coal mine methane is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, and other countries...
. Geologists have not arrived at any definitive numbers based on the new capabilities, but Tertzakian considers that the United States alone has 1,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of exploitable natural gas, the equivalent of 166 billion barrels of oil.
External links
- End of Energy Obesity official website
- Book Video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- One Thousand Barrels A Second Website
- How Accurate are Peak Oil Predictions? Peter Tertzakian on EnergyChallenge.tv
- Terra Incognita: A Navigation Aid for Energy Leaders (book)