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In order to understand fossil fuels, we must consider the following: How much of our energy use is being supplied by oil, gas and coal? How are we using oil, gas and coal?
How much oil, gas and coal is there and where? How long will the oil, gas and coal last? What are the impacts of oil, gas and coal on the environment? What are the economic implications?
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/table81.html Table 8.1 World Crude Oil and Natural Gas Reserves,
January 1, 1999
Oil Reserves as of 1 January 1997
1,018.5-1160.1 billion barrels (7.1x1021 Joules)
Average consumption 1998 74.9 million barrels per day. (457x1015 Joules per day, 167x1018 joules per
year)
Time left 7100/167 = 42.5 years.
Oil Reserves as of 1 January 1999
967.5-1033.2 billion barrels
Average consumption in 1998 http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/table12.html
73.643 million barrels per day.
Time left 1033.2/73.643 = 14030 days = 38.4 years
IEO97 Natural Gas
Table 19. World Natural Gas Reserves as of January 1, 1997
4,945.4 - 5,176 Trillion Cubic Feet (5.37x1021 Joules)
Natural gas consumption 1996
(81.9 x 1018 joules) per year
Lifetime 5370/81.9 = 65.5 years
Eastern Europe and the FSU account for approximately 40 percent of the world's proven
natural gas reserves, almost all attributed to the FSU.
Russia alone has more proven gas reserves than any other country in the world, accounting for 33 percent of the world's total. According to Gazprom, the
Russian state gas company, potential gas reserves may be five times greater than proven reserves. Gazprom estimates that Russia's ultimate reserves could be over 7,413 trillion cubic feet, or roughly 1.5 times the
world's current proven gas reserves [29].
Russia also currently accounts for more than 26 percent of the world's total production. Gazprom estimates that, in addition to supplying most of the natural gas used in
Russia and several other FSU countries, it supplied approximately 21 and 56 percent of the natural gas used in Western and Eastern Europe, respectively, in 1995 [30].
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