Chapter 9

Energy and Civilization

Importance of energy:

• All forms of life and society require energy

• Example: plants use sun for energy– Animals consume food for

energy• If the flow of energy is

disrupted, the organisms stop functioning and start to die off.

• Example: if predators run out of food, they will starve to death

Importance of energy:• We also need energy

for society to function• Example: machines

need fuel• Our main energy

sources are fossil fuels• If have limited energy,

factories shut down, no transportation, electricity, etc.

• Society would be chaotic

History of energy:-Industrial societies (such as the US) use much more energy than the early societies like hunter-gatherersModern societies must have large inputs of energy. Problem: The energy sources must change before resources such as fossil fuels are depleted (run out).

Organisms get energy from food

• All societies depend on food

• Early societies just needed food for survival (needed little other energy) Hunter-gatherers just

obtained just enough food to survive

• Over time, man began to use more energy for their comforts (agriculture society ate more food since more was available, also used more wood for heat and cooking)

Energy use:

• Hunter-gatherers needed energy from:- food only

• Agricultural society used energy from:– food and – Wood

• Industrial society used energy from :– Food and – Coal (fossil fuel)

Use of wood• Wood was the first source of

energy used except for food (heat, cook, bend metals)

• Wood was the primary fuel and was used in building

• As the wood became limited, other forms of fuel was needed. Many started using animal dung (such as in India).

• In Europe and US, vast forests supplied enough fuel until 13th century. Then started using coal (fossil fuels)

• By 1890, coal had replaced wood as the primary energy source.

Industrial revolution

• As this period begin, coal become a major component of energy usage.

• Began in Europe in 1890 and spread to North America

• Machines were invented that replaced manpower

• the steam engine was the central invention (It converted heat energy into motion) It made possible large scale coal mining.

• Coal was the major source of energy to steam engines (must have had coal in order to be a industrialized country)

• People congregated in cities and left farms – Why? To be close to factories—jobs

• Energy consumption increased, economy grew, people prospered (there were plenty coal energy available)

What do industrialized countries use energy for (3 things)?

• 1. Residential and commercial use– Example: generate electricity

• 2. Industrial use– Example: run machines

• 3. Transportation (the US has fewer public transportation systems but a lot of private transportation). – Example: cars use a major portion of the crude oil supply. We

have to get most of it from Middle East countries

Private cars in the US use over 40% of the worlds gasoline

Role of the automobile

• Its invention drastically increased demand for oil

• Automobile industry was big business providing the country with wealth

• Created jobs and altered lifestyles

• People had transportation so they began to move back to rural areas and drive in

• Today it is still a major component of life in the US

Methods to reduce automobile use in cities

• London- photographs license plates (Drivers must pay 8.00/day)

• Hong Kong- has electronic sensors on cars that records travel and time. They are sent a monthly bill

• Singapore- have sensors that are set up. When the car goes through a sensor, it deducts money from a cash card.

• Rome and Florence- all non-public vehicles are banned at certain times of day

Plant energy:

• In all ecosystems, the sun provides the input of energy.

• The energy from the sun is transferred to chemicalEnergy (glucose) by photosynthesis

• The process of photosynthesis occurs in the leaves

• In leaves, the carbon dioxide, water and energy combine to form glucose and oxygen

Photosynthesis• Ingredients needed are: Carbon Dioxide

(CO2), water (H2O) and energy from sun

• Products are: Oxygen (O2) and glucose (C6H12O6)

Animal energy:

Herbivores then get the energy from plants

Carnivores then get the energy from herbivores

Sun >> plant >>herbivore>> carnivore

Fossil fuel formation:Remains of plants, animals, and

microorganisms that lived millions of years ago accumulate

Many remains accumulate on the seafloor as sediment or in swamp lands and are compressed.

If in swamplands, coal forms.

If in seafloor, gas and oil forms.

Heat and pressure convert the organic matter to coal, gas and oil. Gas and oil are made by a process called distillation

The first fossil fuel to be used extensively was coal

Natural Gas

• Natural gas used to not have a place for storage• In the 1940’s, a pipeline was constructed by the federal

government to transport oil within the US

• The pipeline was later sold to private companieswho converted them to natural gas lines

Currently, about 25% of the energy used in the US is from natural gas

Energy usage

• Canada and the US use about 2 times as much energy as people in France and Japan.

• They use 10 times more than China• They use 25 times more than India

OPEC• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries started in 1960

• 5 of the major oil exporters made it up which included: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela and Iran

• Today it is made up of 12 countries. (not the US)

• They control 78% of oil reserves and greatly influence pricing.

• The US has put pressure on them to increase output which would lower pricing. OPEC says they have the output of crude oil. The US does not have enough production facilities.

• OPEC plays a major role in determining pricing

Trends in energy consumption

• Oil remains the worlds major source of energy (38% of the energy demand)

• Coal accounts for 26% and natural gas 24%

• The rest (around 12%) is from nuclear energy and hydropower

Oil consumption

• Consumption of oil in the US has steadily increased.

• The only decline is when OPEC has a price increase and then consumption declines

• When the Iraq war

began, prices increased

and have continued to

do so today

What do less-developed countries use energy for?

• Residential use (cooking and heating)• Some are developing industries

Electricity

• Production and distribution of electricity is a major step in economic development of a country

• About 25% of electricity is used in industry and the rest is residential and commercial