Energy

Press coverage of energy, whether from fossil fuels, nuclear, or renewables, tends to be dominated by talk of production. Production is only half the story, though: Every energy equation is a balance between generation and consumption, and both count equally.

Coal currently provides more than half the United States’ electricity. Because burning a single ton of coal can create more than two tons of CO₂, a primary contributor to climate change, a technique known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) is under development.

In economics, the word externality refers to costs or benefits of a good or service not reflected in its price. For example, making gasoline requires petroleum extraction, transportation, and refinement; driving creates pollution, noise and congestion.  These in turn cause health and environmental damage.

Mountaintop mining is a widespread practice in eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. It involves removing forests, clearing topsoil and using explosives to expose buried coal. Excess rock is pushed into nearby valleys, disturbing habitats and blocking streams.

On September 19 BP’s Deepwater Horizon well was officially declared sealed after having poured nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Coincidentally, the following day the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the recession that started in late 2007 had ended in June.  While these two crises are now ostensibly over, their effects are likely to be felt for years.

Hydropower accounts for two-thirds of all renewable electricity production in the United States. A 2008 paper by the University of Missouri at Saint Louis, “The Potential of Water Power in the Fight Against Global Warming,” discusses the potential for hydropower in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

While increasing energy efficiency has considerable benefits, significant barriers exist. Efficiency potential is spread throughout millions of individual homes and businesses, requires upfront investments and shows returns only over time. This makes efficiency no one’s first priority.

As gas prices rise, people tend to shift from driving personal vehicles to using public transit. However, the extent of this change and the interplay between fuel price spikes and transit usage are not precisely known.

In the quest for increased energy efficiency and smaller carbon footprints, many individuals are now making more conscious consumer choices, looking for greener alternatives in everything from household appliances to hybrid vehicles. However, the basic structure of homes, as well as the areas in which they were built, may represent deep challenges to achieving real cuts in personal and family energy consumption.