energy crisis in world essay

• Energy Resources
• Fossil Fuels

Global Energy Crisis: Impact on the Global Economy

• December 2022
• SSRN Electronic Journal

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The world’s energy problem

The world faces two energy problems: most of our energy still produces greenhouse gas emissions, and hundreds of millions lack access to energy..

The world lacks safe, low-carbon, and cheap large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Until we scale up those alternatives the world will continue to face the two energy problems of today. The energy problem that receives most attention is the link between energy access and greenhouse gas emissions. But the world has another global energy problem that is just as big: hundreds of millions of people lack access to sufficient energy entirely, with terrible consequences to themselves and the environment.

The problem that dominates the public discussion on energy is climate change. A climate crisis endangers the natural environment around us, our wellbeing today and the wellbeing of those who come after us.

It is the production of energy that is responsible for 87% of global greenhouse gas emissions and as the chart below shows, people in the richest countries have the very highest emissions.

This chart here will guide us through the discussion of the world's energy problem. It shows the per capita CO2 emissions on the vertical axis against the average income in that country on the horizontal axis.

In countries where people have an average income between $15,000 and $20,000, per capita CO 2 emissions are close to the global average ( 4.8 tonnes CO 2 per year). In every country where people's average income is above $25,000 the average emissions per capita are higher than the global average.

The world’s CO 2 emissions have been rising quickly and reached 36.6 billion tonnes in 2018 . As long as we are emitting greenhouse gases their concentration in the atmosphere increases . To bring climate change to an end the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere needs to stabilize and to achieve this the world’s greenhouse gas emissions have to decline towards net-zero.

To bring emissions down towards net-zero will be one of the world’s biggest challenges in the years ahead. But the world’s energy problem is actually even larger than that, because the world has not one, but two energy problems.

The twin problems of global energy

The first energy problem: those that have low carbon emissions lack access to energy.

The first global energy problem relates to the left-hand side of the scatter-plot above.

People in very poor countries have very low emissions. On average, people in the US emit more carbon dioxide in 4 days than people in poor countries – such as Ethiopia, Uganda, or Malawi – emit in an entire year. 1

The reason that the emissions of the poor are low is that they lack access to modern energy and technology. The energy problem of the poorer half of the world is energy poverty . The two charts below show that large shares of people in countries with a GDP per capita of less than $25,000 do not have access to electricity and clean cooking fuels. 2

The lack of access to these technologies causes some of the worst global problems of our time.

When people lack access to modern energy sources for cooking and heating, they rely on solid fuel sources – mostly firewood, but also dung and crop waste. This comes at a massive cost to the health of people in energy poverty: indoor air pollution , which the WHO calls "the world's largest single environmental health risk." 3 For the poorest people in the world it is the largest risk factor for early death and global health research suggests that indoor air pollution is responsible for 1.6 million deaths each year, twice the death count of poor sanitation. 4

The use of wood as a source of energy also has a negative impact on the environment around us. The reliance on fuelwood is the reason why poverty is linked to deforestation. The FAO reports that on the African continent the reliance on wood as fuel is the single most important driver of forest degradation. 5 Across East, Central, and West Africa fuelwood provides more than half of the total energy. 6

Lastly, the lack of access to energy subjects people to a life in poverty. No electricity means no refrigeration of food; no washing machine or dishwasher; and no light at night. You might have seen the photos of children sitting under a street lamp at night to do their homework. 7

The first energy problem of the world is the problem of energy poverty – those that do not have sufficient access to modern energy sources suffer poor living conditions as a result.

The second energy problem: those that have access to energy produce greenhouse gas emissions that are too high

The second energy problem is the one that is more well known, and relates to the right hand-side of the scatterplot above: greenhouse gas emissions are too high.

Those that need to reduce emissions the most are the extremely rich. Diana Ivanova and Richard Wood (2020) have just shown that the richest 1% in the EU emit on average 43 tonnes of CO 2 annually – 9-times as much as the global average of 4.8 tonnes. 8

The focus on the rich, however, can give the impression that it is only the emissions of the extremely rich that are the problem. What isn’t made clear enough in the public debate is that for the world's energy supply to be sustainable the greenhouse gas emissions of the majority of the world population are currently too high. The problem is larger for the extremely rich, but it isn’t limited to them.

The Paris Agreement's goal is to keep the increase of the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and “to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C”. 9

To achieve this goal emissions have to decline to net-zero within the coming decades.

Within richer countries, where few are suffering from energy poverty, even the emissions of the very poorest people are far higher. The paper by Ivanova and Wood shows that in countries like Germany, Ireland, and Greece more than 99% of households have per capita emissions of more than 2.4 tonnes per year.

The only countries that have emissions that are close to zero are those where the majority suffers from energy poverty. 10 The countries that are closest are the very poorest countries in Africa : Malawi, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But this comes at a large cost to themselves as this chart shows. In no poor country do people have living standards that are comparable to those of people in richer countries.

And since living conditions are better where GDP per capita is higher, it is also the case that CO 2 emissions are higher where living conditions are better. Emissions are high where child mortality is the lowest , where children have good access to education, and where few of them suffer from hunger .

The reason for this is that as soon as people get access to energy from fossil fuels their emissions are too high to be sustainable over the long run (see here ).

People need access to energy for a good life. But in a world where fossil fuels are the dominant source of energy, access to modern energy means that carbon emissions are too high.

The more accurate description of the second global energy problem is therefore: the majority of the world population – all those who are not very poor – have greenhouse gas emissions that are far too high to be sustainable over the long run.

The current alternatives are energy poverty or fossil-fuels and greenhouse gases

The chart here is a version of the scatter plot above and summarizes the two global energy problems: In purple are those that live in energy poverty, in blue those whose greenhouse gas emissions are too high if we want to avoid severe climate change.

So far I have looked at the global energy problem in a static way, but the world is changing  of course.

For millennia all of our ancestors lived in the pink bubble: the reliance on wood meant they suffered from indoor air pollution; the necessity of acquiring fuelwood and agricultural land meant deforestation; and minimal technology meant that our ancestors lived in conditions of extreme poverty.

In the last two centuries more and more people have moved from the purple to the blue area in the chart. In many ways this is a very positive development. Economic growth and increased access to modern energy improved people's living conditions. In rich countries almost no one dies from indoor air pollution and living conditions are much better in many ways as we've seen above. It also meant that we made progress against the ecological downside of energy poverty: The link between poverty and the reliance on fuelwood is one of the key reasons why deforestation declines with economic growth. 11 And progress in that direction has been fast: on any average day in the last decade 315,000 people in the world got access to electricity for the first time in their life.

But while living conditions improved, greenhouse gas emissions increased.

The chart shows what this meant for greenhouse gas emissions over the last generation. The chart is a version of the scatter plot above, but it shows the change over time – from 1990 to the latest available data.

The data is now also plotted on log-log scales which has the advantage that you can see the rates of change easily. On a logarithmic axis the steepness of the line corresponds to the rate of change. What the chart shows is that low- and middle-income countries increased their emissions at very similar rates.

By default the chart shows the change of income and emission for the 14 countries that are home to more than 100 million people, but you can add other countries to the chart.

What has been true in the past two decades will be true in the future. For the poorer three-quarters of the world income growth means catching up with the good living conditions of the richer world, but unless there are cheap alternatives to fossil fuels it also means catching up with the high emissions of the richer world.

Our challenge: find large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels that are affordable, safe and sustainable

The task for our generation is therefore twofold: since the majority of the world still lives in poor conditions, we have to continue to make progress in our fight against energy poverty. But success in this fight will only translate into good living conditions for today’s young generation when we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

Key to making progress on both of these fronts is the source of energy and its price . Those living in energy poverty cannot afford sufficient energy and those that left the worst poverty behind rely on fossil fuels to meet their energy needs.

Once we look at it this way it becomes clear that the twin energy problems are really the two sides of one big problem. We lack large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels that are cheap, safe, and sustainable.

This last version of the scatter plot shows what it would mean to have such energy sources at scale. It would allow the world to leave the unsustainable current alternatives behind and make the transition to the bottom right corner of the chart: the area marked with the green rectangle where emissions are net-zero and everyone has left energy poverty behind.

Without these technologies we are trapped in a world where we have only bad alternatives: Low-income countries that fail to meet the needs of the current generation; high-income countries that compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs; and middle-income countries that fail on both counts.

Since we have not developed all the technologies that are required to make this transition possible large scale innovation is required for the world to make this transition. This is the case for most sectors that cause carbon emissions , in particular in the transport (shipping, aviation, road transport) and heating sectors, but also cement production and agriculture.

One sector where we have developed several alternatives to fossil fuels is electricity. Nuclear power and renewables emit far less carbon (and are much safer) than fossil fuels. Still, as the last chart shows, their share in global electricity production hasn't changed much: only increasing from 36% to 38% in the last three decades.

But it is possible to do better. Some countries have scaled up nuclear power and renewables and are doing much better than the global average. You can see this if you change the chart to show the data for France and Sweden – in France 92% of electricity comes from low carbon sources, in Sweden it is 99%. The consequence of countries doing better in this respect should be that they are closer to the sustainable energy world of the future. The scatter plot above shows that this is the case.

But for the global energy supply – especially outside the electricity sector – the world is still far away from a solution to the world's energy problem.

Every country is still very far away from providing clean, safe, and affordable energy at a massive scale and unless we make rapid progress in developing these technologies we will remain stuck in the two unsustainable alternatives of today: energy poverty or greenhouse gas emissions.

As can be seen from the chart, the ratio of emissions is 17.49t / 0.2t = 87.45. And 365 days/87.45=4.17 days

It is worth looking into the cutoffs for what it means – according to these international statistics – to have access to energy. The cutoffs are low.

See Raising Global Energy Ambitions: The 1,000 kWh Modern Energy Minimum and IEA (2020) – Defining energy access: 2020 methodology, IEA, Paris.

WHO (2014) – Frequently Asked Questions – Ambient and Household Air Pollution and Health . Update 2014

While it is certain that the death toll of indoor air pollution is high, there are widely differing estimates. At the higher end of the spectrum, the WHO estimates a death count of more than twice that. We discuss it in our entry on indoor air pollution .

The 2018 estimate for premature deaths due to poor sanitation is from the same analysis, the Global Burden of Disease study. See here .

FAO and UNEP. 2020. The State of the World’s Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en

The same report also reports that an estimated 880 million people worldwide are collecting fuelwood or producing charcoal with it.

This is according to the IEA's World Energy Balances 2020. Here is a visualization of the data.

The second largest energy source across the three regions is oil and the third is gas.

The photo shows students study under the streetlights at Conakry airport in Guinea. It was taken by Rebecca Blackwell for the Associated Press.

It was published by the New York Times here .

The global average is 4.8 tonnes per capita . The richest 1% of individuals in the EU emit 43 tonnes per capita – according to Ivanova D, Wood R (2020). The unequal distribution of household carbon footprints in Europe and its link to sustainability. Global Sustainability 3, e18, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.12

On Our World in Data my colleague Hannah Ritchie has looked into a related question and also found that the highest emissions are concentrated among a relatively small share of the global population: High-income countries are home to only 16% of the world population, yet they are responsible for almost half (46%) of the world’s emissions.

Article 2 of the Paris Agreement states the goal in section 1a: “Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.”

It is an interesting question whether there are some subnational regions in richer countries where a larger group of people has extremely low emissions; it might possibly be the case in regions that rely on nuclear energy or renewables (likely hydro power) or where aforestation is happening rapidly.

Crespo Cuaresma, J., Danylo, O., Fritz, S. et al. Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data. Sci Rep 7, 40678 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40678

Bruce N, Rehfuess E, Mehta S, et al. Indoor Air Pollution. In: Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al., editors. Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2006. Chapter 42. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11760/ Co-published by Oxford University Press, New York.

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World Energy Outlook 2022 shows the global energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and more secure future

News 27 October 2022

For the first time, global demand for each of the fossil fuels shows a peak or plateau across all WEO scenarios, with Russian exports in particular falling significantly as the world energy order is reshaped

The global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing profound and long-lasting changes that have the potential to hasten the transition to a more sustainable and secure energy system, according to the latest edition of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook .

Today’s energy crisis is delivering a shock of unprecedented breadth and complexity. The biggest tremors have been felt in the markets for natural gas, coal and electricity – with significant turmoil in oil markets as well, necessitating two oil stock releases of unparalleled scale by IEA member countries to avoid even more severe disruptions. With unrelenting geopolitical and economic concerns, energy markets remain extremely vulnerable, and the crisis is a reminder of the fragility and unsustainability of the current global energy system, the World Energy Outlook 2022 (WEO) warns.

The WEO ’s analysis finds scant evidence to support claims from some quarters that climate policies and net zero commitments contributed to the run-up in energy prices. In the most affected regions, higher shares of renewables were correlated with lower electricity prices – and more efficient homes and electrified heat have provided an important buffer for some consumers, albeit far from enough. The heaviest burden is falling on poorer households where a larger share of income is spent on energy.

Alongside short-term measures to try to shield consumers from the impacts of the crisis, many governments are now taking longer-term steps. Some are seeking to increase or diversify oil and gas supplies, and many are looking to accelerate structural changes. The most notable responses include the US Inflation Reduction Act, the EU’s Fit for 55 package and REPowerEU, Japan’s Green Transformation (GX) programme, Korea’s aim to increase the share of nuclear and renewables in its energy mix, and ambitious clean energy targets in China and India.

In the WEO ’s Stated Policies Scenario, which is based on the latest policy settings worldwide, these new measures help propel global clean energy investment to more than USD 2 trillion a year by 2030, a rise of more than 50% from today. As markets rebalance in this scenario, the upside for coal from today’s crisis is temporary as renewables, supported by nuclear power, see sustained gains. As a result, a high point for global emissions is reached in 2025. At the same time, international energy markets undergo a profound reorientation in the 2020s as countries adjust to the rupture of Russia-Europe flows.

“Energy markets and policies have changed as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, not just for the time being, but for decades to come,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Even with today’s policy settings, the energy world is shifting dramatically before our eyes. Government responses around the world promise to make this a historic and definitive turning point towards a cleaner, more affordable and more secure energy system.”

For the first time ever, a WEO scenario based on today’s prevailing policy settings – in this case, the Stated Policies Scenario – has global demand for every fossil fuel exhibiting a peak or plateau. In this scenario, coal use falls back within the next few years, natural gas demand reaches a plateau by the end of the decade, and rising sales of electric vehicles (EVs) mean that oil demand levels off in the mid-2030s before ebbing slightly to mid-century. This means that total demand for fossil fuels declines steadily from the mid-2020s to 2050 by an annual average roughly equivalent to the lifetime output of a large oil field. The declines are much faster and more pronounced in the WEO ’s more climate-focused scenarios.

Global fossil fuel use has grown alongside GDP since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century: putting this rise into reverse will be a pivotal moment in energy history. The share of fossil fuels in the global energy mix in the Stated Policies Scenario falls from around 80% to just above 60% by 2050. Global CO2 emissions fall back slowly from a high point of 37 billion tonnes per year to 32 billion tonnes by 2050. This would be associated with a rise of around 2.5 °C in global average temperatures by 2100, far from enough to avoid severe climate change impacts. Full achievement of all climate pledges would move the world towards safer ground, but there is still a large gap between today’s pledges and a stabilisation of the rise in global temperatures around 1.5 °C.

Today’s growth rates for deployment of solar PV, wind, EVs and batteries, if maintained, would lead to a much faster transformation than projected in the Stated Policies Scenario, although this would require supportive policies not just in the early leading markets for these technologies but across the world. Supply chains for some key technologies – including batteries, solar PV and electrolysers – are expanding at rates that support greater global ambition. If all announced manufacturing expansion plans for solar PV see the light of day, manufacturing capacity would exceed the deployment levels in the Announced Pledges Scenario in 2030 by around 75%. In the case of electrolysers for hydrogen production, the potential excess of capacity of all announced projects is around 50%.

Stronger policies will be essential to drive the huge increase in energy investment that is needed to reduce the risks of future price spikes and volatility, according to this year’s WEO . Subdued investment due to lower prices in the 2015-2020 period made the energy sector much more vulnerable to the sort of disruptions we have seen in 2022. While clean energy investment rises above USD 2 trillion by 2030 in the States Policies Scenario, it would need to be above USD 4 trillion by the same date in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, highlighting the need to attract new investors to the energy sector. And major international efforts are still urgently required to narrow the worrying divide in clean energy investment levels between advanced economies and emerging and developing economies.

“The environmental case for clean energy needed no reinforcement, but the economic arguments in favour of cost-competitive and affordable clean technologies are now stronger – and so too is the energy security case. Today’s alignment of economic, climate and security priorities has already started to move the dial towards a better outcome for the world’s people and for the planet,” Dr Birol said.

“It is essential to bring everyone on board, especially at a time when geopolitical fractures on energy and climate are all the more visible,” he said. “This means redoubling efforts to ensure that a broad coalition of countries has a stake in the new energy economy. The journey to a more secure and sustainable energy system may not be a smooth one. But today’s crisis makes it crystal clear why we need to press ahead.”

Russia has been by far the world’s largest exporter of fossil fuels, but its invasion of Ukraine is prompting a wholesale reorientation of global energy trade, leaving it with a much-diminished position. All Russia’s trade ties with Europe based on fossil fuels had ultimately been undercut in previous WEO scenarios by Europe’s net zero ambitions, but Russia’s ability to deliver at relatively low cost meant that it lost ground only gradually. Now the rupture has come with a speed that few imagined possible. Russian fossil fuel exports never return – in any of the scenarios in this year’s WEO – to the levels seen in 2021, with Russia’s reorientation to Asian markets particularly challenging in the case of natural gas. Russia’s share of internationally traded energy, which stood at close to 20% in 2021, falls to 13% in 2030 the Stated Policies Scenario, while the shares of both the United States and the Middle East rise.

For gas consumers, the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter promises to be a perilous moment and a testing time for EU solidarity – and the winter of 2023-24 could be even tougher. But in the longer term, one of the effects of Russia’s recent actions is that the era of rapid growth in gas demand draws to a close. In the Stated Policies Scenario, the scenario that sees the highest gas use, global demand rises by less than 5% between 2021 and 2030 and then remains flat through to 2050. Momentum behind gas in developing economies has slowed, notably in South and Southeast Asia, putting a dent in the credentials of gas as a transition fuel.

“Amid the major changes taking place, a new energy security paradigm is needed to ensure reliability and affordability while reducing emissions,” Dr Birol said. “That is why this year’s WEO provides 10 principles that can help guide policymakers through the period when declining fossil fuel and expanding clean energy systems co-exist, since both systems are required to function well during energy transitions in order to deliver the energy services needed by consumers. And as the world moves on from today’s energy crisis, it needs to avoid new vulnerabilities arising from high and volatile critical mineral prices or highly concentrated clean energy supply chains”

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Energy crisis: Causes and Global Impact

Last updated on January 10, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

The global energy crisis is a result of a cascade of issues faced by different countries over the years. The chain of events begins with the pandemic, along with a fall in wholesale energy prices. As Covid-19 impacted the world, gas, and electricity use reduced sharply across countries, in contrast to overproduction from oil and gas companies.

The US, China, the UK, India, Europe, and South Korea were the countries worst hit by the energy crunch.

Also read: Methane Emissions

Table of Contents

What has led to the world energy crisis?

In recent times various news of energy crisis has come up in both developed and developing nations-

• Coal and power crisis in China
• Coal crisis in India
• Fuel crisis in the UK

The reasons for this power crunch are being stated by experts- Pandemic, Greenflation, geopolitics, and so on.

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The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the global demand for oil and other energy sources, which in turn limited their production as well. However, the unexpected recovery rate from the pandemic by the world has led to a rapid increase in energy demands- causing sudden inflation .

The sudden demand-based inflation has caused coal and crude oil prices to double this year. As companies and countries are racing to meet the hiked demand, the global scenario has been affected negatively by the supply-side crunch and high prices.

Climate change:

The heavy rainfall seen in South and Southeast Asia has made coal mining difficult in countries like India and China; hence these countries are facing the coal crisis now.

In Europe, the colder winter has heightened the energy crisis. The harsh winter conditions adversely affect the gas transport systems in these regions as most of the gas in Europe is imported.

Greenflation:

The world is trying to move towards more sustainable sources of energy, hence driving the demand for still limited energy sources like natural gas has increased causing massive price rises- causing greenflation . Also, many countries have closed their coal fields due to environmental concerns piling on to the energy woes. The governments have also placed various restrictions on traditional energy sources which also add to the greenflation.

Renewable sources like wind and solar power require massive infrastructure and investments which is delaying the output as well. This makes them unreliable for meeting the net energy demand for a long time. Another downside is that renewable energy lacks a storage solution unlike coal and natural gas; hence it is not yet ready to be fully depended upon.

Geopolitics:

Geopolitics is also a contributing factor in elevated crises in some regions. For instance, when EU nations suffer from an energy crunch, Russia steps in to help, but this time Russia has not increased the supplies, which may be a tactic to put pressure to expedite the Nord Stream 2 pipeline approval.

Energy crisis in India

India depends on fossil fuels for almost 70% of its power requirements, but currently, the country’s coal stocks are running abysmally low. The major reasons for this energy crisis are-

• The power consumption in many states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka has risen from 14% to 21% after the pandemic, putting strain on the production and supply network.
• The power crisis in China has hiked the demand and prices of fuel globally.
• India imports most of its coal from outside, and the supply chain bottlenecks are still not smoothened post-pandemic.
• The widening gap between the low cost of electricity and the high prices of imported coal.
• Even after having the 4 th largest coal reserves in the world, the local supplies have strained due to a drop in investments in fossil fuels to meet climate targets.
• Power companies did not stockpile coal due to the high costs of stockpiling.

The government is taking measures on a war footing scale to tackle the crisis by working with state-run organizations to boost the mining and production of coal. According to experts, the winters may help see a drop in the energy demand, stabilizing the situation a bit.

Way forward

The world is in an energy transition stage when there is bound to be an imbalance in demand and supply throughout. Since most of the consumptive and fast-growing world economies are heavily dependent on thermal energy , it will be a rather difficult task to switch to renewable sources of energy quickly. Thus, it is also imperative that we divide our attention towards sustainable alternatives also to achieve better stability in the future and avoid future energy crises.

Necessity is the mother of invention- on these lines, many countries are trying to set the right balance between green energy and fossil fuel usage.

California has installed solar-powered batteries connected to the grid. These batteries help power the grid during the heatwave and store excess energy during peak solar hours. This stored energy is dispatched back into the grid after sunset.

The offshore wind energy farm of Denmark was a global first in 1991 but now has been taken up by many countries including India. Now, Denmark is building another global first- an energy island in the North Sea that could eventually be capable of supplying energy to approximately 10 million homes. The move will create a critical boost to the world’s offshore wind capacity. The first ‘hub and spoke’ energy scheme will involve building an island 80 kilometers off the Danish coastline to act as the transmission center for hundreds of wind turbines surrounding it.

The Green Grids Initiative , the one sun one world one grid concept introduced by India is also the right step in harnessing and saving energy for the future.

It is imperative in today’s scenario that climate change mitigation and tackling the energy crisis have to go hand in hand as both are complexly interlinked. The countries need to come up with solutions to control, mitigate and balance the future with the present.

Read:  Sedimentary Basins of India

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Essay on Energy Crisis

Students are often asked to write an essay on Energy Crisis in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Energy Crisis

Introduction.

An energy crisis is a serious shortage or the price rise of energy resources. This can be due to natural disasters, overconsumption, or aging infrastructure.

The primary causes are natural disasters, overconsumption, and aging infrastructure. These disrupt the supply of energy, causing crises.

The energy crisis impacts all aspects of life. It affects transportation, heating, and lighting. It also hinders economic growth.

Solutions include reducing energy use, investing in renewable energy, and improving energy infrastructure. Education about energy conservation is also crucial.

250 Words Essay on Energy Crisis

The energy crisis is a global concern that is characterized by a significant shortage of energy resources in an economy. It often leads to disruptions in economic and social development, causing a ripple effect on various facets of society.

Causes of the Energy Crisis

The energy crisis is mainly attributed to two factors: increasing demand and decreasing supply. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have resulted in a surge in energy demand, which the current energy infrastructure struggles to meet. Simultaneously, the depletion of non-renewable energy resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, has led to a decrease in energy supply.

Impacts of the Energy Crisis

The energy crisis has far-reaching impacts. Economically, it can lead to inflation, unemployment, and reduced industrial output. Environmentally, it prompts the overexploitation of non-renewable resources, contributing to environmental degradation and climate change.

Solutions to the Energy Crisis

Addressing the energy crisis requires a multifaceted approach. Renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power should be harnessed more effectively. Energy conservation and efficiency must be promoted, and advancements in technology should be leveraged to develop new energy-efficient products and services.

The energy crisis is a complex issue that requires immediate attention. By understanding its causes and impacts, and by implementing effective solutions, we can pave the way towards a sustainable future. The path is challenging, but the potential rewards – a stable economy, a healthy environment, and a sustainable supply of energy – are well worth the effort.

500 Words Essay on Energy Crisis

The causes of the energy crisis.

The primary cause of the energy crisis is the over-dependence on non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas. These resources are finite and are depleting at an alarming rate due to heavy consumption. The increasing population and industrialization have escalated the demand for energy, further straining these resources.

Another contributing factor is the inefficient use of energy. A significant amount of energy is wasted due to outdated infrastructure, poor energy management, and lack of awareness about energy conservation.

The Impact of the Energy Crisis

Overcoming the energy crisis.

Addressing the energy crisis requires a multi-pronged approach. Firstly, there is a need to transition from non-renewable to renewable energy sources. Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, is sustainable and can meet our energy needs without depleting the earth’s resources.

Secondly, energy efficiency should be prioritized. This involves upgrading infrastructure, improving energy management, and promoting energy conservation habits among the population.

The energy crisis is a pressing issue that requires immediate attention and action. By transitioning to renewable energy sources, promoting energy efficiency, and implementing sustainable energy policies, we can mitigate the crisis and secure a sustainable energy future. The energy crisis is not just an economic or environmental issue; it is a challenge to our survival and prosperity. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us all to participate in the solutions and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

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Causes, Effects, and Solutions to the Growing Problem of Global Energy Crisis

The energy crisis stems from the increasing global demand for limited natural resources , essential for powering our industrial society. As the demand for these resources increases, they edge closer to depletion, presenting a pressing concern.

Sure, these resources occur naturally, but replenishing them can take hundreds or thousands of years, making them scarce commodities.

Governments and concerned individuals are working together to prioritize the use of renewable resources and lessen the irresponsible use of natural supplies through increased conservation .

The energy crisis is a broad and complex topic. But most people don’t feel connected to its reality until they experience increased fuel prices and longer lines at the pump.

According to Wikipedia ,

“An energy crisis is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In literature, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, in particular those that supply national electricity grids or those used as fuel in Industrial development and population growth have led to a surge in the global demand for energy in recent years.””

How Real is the Energy Crisis?

During election years, there is a renewed debate on how “real” the energy crisis is in the world.

One side will always say it is based on faulty science and politics; the other will say that the opposite side is basing its findings on junk science and political interests.

The best way to sum up the reality of the energy crisis is that you cannot have growing demands on limited resources without eventually running out of the resource.

That is just common sense.

Essentially, whether or not the energy crisis is real depends on our perception of responsibility for the future.

If we disregard everything that happens after our time on Earth is up, then the energy crisis may not seem real. But if we can view the situation from far and wide perspective with interest in future generations, then it’s easy to see the reality of the energy crisis.

Various Causes of the Global Energy Crisis

It would be easy to point the finger at one practice or industry and lay the blame for the entire energy crisis at their door, but that would be a very naive and unrealistic interpretation of the cause of the crisis.

1. Overconsumption

The energy crisis results from many different strains on our natural resources , not just one. There is a strain on fossil fuels such as oil , gas , and coal due to overconsumption – which then, in turn, can put a strain on our water and oxygen resources by causing pollution .

2. Overpopulation

Another cause of the crisis has been a steady increase in the world’s population and its demands for fuel and products. No matter what type of food or products you choose to use – from fair trade and organic to those made from petroleum products in a sweatshop – not one is made or transported without a significant drain on our energy resources.

3. Poor Infrastructure

The aging infrastructure of power-generating equipment is yet another reason for energy shortage. Most of the energy-producing firms keep on using outdated equipment that restricts the production of energy. It is the responsibility of utilities to keep upgrading the infrastructure and set a high-performance standard.

4. Unexplored Renewable Energy Options

In many countries, renewable energy sources remain largely untapped, while non-renewable sources like coal dominate the energy production landscape. As a result, coal remains the preferred choice for meeting energy demands.

Unless we give renewable energy serious thought, the energy crisis cannot be solved . That’s because renewable energy sources can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and also helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Delay in Commissioning of Power Plants

In a few countries, there is a significant delay in the commissioning of new power plants that can fill the gap between demand and supply of energy. The result is that old plants come under immense stress to meet the daily demand for power. When supply doesn’t match demand, it results in load-shedding and breakdown.

6. Wastage of Energy

In most parts of the world, people do not realize the importance of conserving energy . It is only limited to books, the internet, newspaper ads, lip service, and seminars. Unless we begin implementing what we already know about energy conservation in our everyday life, the energy crisis can only worsen with time.

Simple things like switching off fans and lights when not in use, using maximum daylight, walking instead of driving for short distances, using CFL instead of traditional bulbs, and proper insulation to minimize energy leakage can go a long way in saving energy. Read here about 151 ways of saving energy .

7. Poor Distribution System

Frequent tripping and breakdown are a result of a poor distribution system.

8. Major Accidents and Natural Calamities

Major accidents like pipeline bursts and natural calamities like the eruption of volcanoes, floods, and earthquakes can also cause interruptions to energy supplies.

9. Wars and Attacks

Wars between countries can also hamper the supply of energy, especially if it happens in Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, or Qatar.

That’s what happened during the 1990 Gulf War when the price of oil reached its peak, causing global shortages and creating major problems for energy consumers.

10. Miscellaneous Factors

Tax hikes, strikes, military coups, political events, severe hot summers or cold winters can cause a sudden increase in energy demand and choke supply. A strike by trade unions in an oil-producing firm can cause an energy crisis.

Various Effects of the Global Energy Crisis

The growth of human civilization has led to increased consumption of traditional energy sources, particularly fossil fuels. This extensive usage inevitably leads to several significant effects related to the global energy crisis, including:

1. Environmental Effects

Energy is produced by burning non-renewable fossil fuels. This does not only affect the global resources of fossil fuels but also the environment.

You see, burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases create a blanket on the earth’s surface, preventing the release of the short rays of the sun by night.

Thus, we can safely argue that the energy crisis facilitates making the earth a warmer place by promoting global warming.

2. Increasing Prices of the Fuel Resources

The escalating use of fossil fuels drives an increase in their cost, given their limited availability. As consumption continues, the quantity of these precious resources declines, heightening concerns about their future scarcity.

As each day passes, fossil fuel demand increases while availability decreases. This leads to a gradual and persistent increase in price, creating a huge economic disturbance across the globe.

3. Political Disturbances

The fact that the energy crisis creates some socio-economic disturbances also tells us that it also creates a lot of political disturbances across the globe. In fact, the quest for fossil fuels is one of the major causes of the same.

Besides, with the failure of the energy markets, we see a crash in not only the global economy but also in the energy available. All these are enough to cause socio-political disturbances.

4. The Effect on the Tourism Industry

The tourism industry is largely dependent on the rise and fall of fuel prices. The tremendous rise in fuel prices from the energy crisis affects the tourism industry pretty adversely.

That’s because the increase in fuel prices also means an upsurge in the costs of tourism, leaving only a few able to afford it. This decline in the number of tourists translates to lower revenue generated through tourism industry.

Possible Solutions to the Problem of Global Energy Crisis

Many of the possible solutions are already in place today, but they have not been widely adopted.

1. Move Towards Renewable Resources

The best possible solution is to reduce the world’s dependence on non-renewable resources and to improve overall conservation efforts.

Much of the industrial age heavily relied on fossil fuels, but there are established technologies that leverage renewable energy sources, such as steam, solar , and wind .

In switching to renewable energy sources, we must understand that the primary concern lies not in depleting gas or oil reserves but in the continued use of coal , which pollutes the atmosphere and destroys other natural resources during mining. That will help us understand why the shift is necessary even with access to fossil fuels.

2. Buy Energy-Efficient Products

Replace traditional bulbs with CFLs and LEDs . They use fewer watts of electricity and last longer. If millions of people across the globe use LEDs and CFLs for residential and commercial lighting, the demand for energy can decrease, and an energy crisis can be averted.

3. Lighting Controls

The other step we can take to save the global energy crisis is switching to lighting controls. Lighting controls aren’t just interesting technologies; they’re also a great way to cut on the energy you use, consequently reducing your energy bills.

Preset lighting controls, slide lighting, touch dimmers, and integrated lighting controls are a few of the lighting controls that can help to conserve energy and reduce overall lighting costs.

4. Easier Grid Access

People who use different options to generate power should be given a way to plug into the grid and get credit for the excess amount of power they feed into it. Apart from that, subsidies on solar panels should be given to encourage more people to explore renewable options.

5. Energy Simulation

Big corporates and corporations can use energy simulation software to optimize their building units and reduce energy costs .

By utilizing such software, engineers, architects, and designers can create highly energy-efficient buildings , effectively reducing the carbon footprint of these structures.

6. Perform Energy Audit

The energy audit is a process that helps you to identify the areas where your home or office is losing energy and what steps you can take to improve energy efficiency .

When done by a professional, an energy audit can help reduce your carbon footprint, save energy and money, and relieve the current energy crisis.

7. Common Stand on Climate Change

Both developed and developing countries should adopt a common stand on climate change. They should focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through an effective cross-border mechanism.

With current population growth and overconsumption of resources, the consequences of global warming and climate change cannot be ruled out. Both developed and developing countries must focus on halving their emissions by 2050.

What is Being Done Today?

There are many global initiatives that are working towards resolving the energy crisis. These include stricter regulations and restrictions on carbon emissions, the promotion of greener manufacturing and construction projects, the funding of research into hybrid and other sustainable technologies, and more.

Locally, the communities are becoming more informed on the importance of using resources responsibly, extending beyond just recycling .

More community gardens, parks, and farmer’s markets are springing up not only as a means of introducing more sustainable elements into people’s lives but as an essential part of educating the public about the importance of resources.

References:

World Energy Issues

EPA Position on Energy Crisis

America’s Next Energy Crisis by Forbes

Human Engineering and the Energy Crisis

About Rinkesh

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.

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Energy Crisis (1970s)

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 8, 2022 | Original: August 30, 2010

By the early 1970s, American oil consumption—in the form of gasoline and other products—was rising even as domestic oil production was declining, leading to an increasing dependence on oil imported from abroad. Despite this, Americans worried little about a dwindling supply or a spike in prices, and were encouraged in this attitude by policymakers in Washington, who believed that Arab oil exporters couldn’t afford to lose the revenue from the U.S. market. These assumptions were demolished in 1973, when an oil embargo imposed by members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) led to fuel shortages and sky-high prices throughout much of the decade.

Background to the 1970s Energy Crisis

In 1948, the Allied powers had carved land out of the British-controlled territory of Palestine in order to create the state of Israel , which would serve as a homeland for disenfranchised Jews from around the world. Much of the Arab population in the region refused to acknowledge the Israeli state, however, and over the next decades sporadic attacks periodically erupted into full-scale conflict. One of these Arab-Israeli wars, the Yom Kippur War, began in early October 1973, when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. After the Soviet Union began sending arms to Egypt and Syria, U.S. President Richard Nixon began an effort to resupply Israel.

Did you know? The United States alone consumes about 20 million of the roughly 100 million barrels of oil consumed daily in the world.

In response, members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) reduced their petroleum production and proclaimed an embargo on oil shipments to the United States and the Netherlands, the main supporters of Israel. Though the Yom Kippur War ended in late October, the embargo and limitations on oil production continued, sparking an international energy crisis. As it turned out, Washington’s earlier assumption that an oil boycott for political reasons would hurt the Persian Gulf financially turned out to be wrong, as the increased price per barrel of oil more than made up for the reduced production.

Energy Crisis: Effects in the United States and Abroad

In the three frenzied months after the embargo was announced, the price of oil shot from $3 per barrel to $12. After decades of abundant supply and growing consumption, Americans now faced price hikes and fuel shortages, causing lines to form at gasoline stations around the country. Local, state and national leaders called for measures to conserve energy, asking gas stations to close on Sundays and homeowners to refrain from putting up holiday lights on their houses. In addition to causing major problems in the lives of consumers, the energy crisis was a huge blow to the American automotive industry, which had for decades turned out bigger and bigger cars and would now be outpaced by Japanese manufacturers producing smaller and more fuel-efficient models.

Though the embargo was not enforced uniformly in Europe, the price hikes led to an energy crisis of even greater proportions than in the United States. Countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark placed limitations on driving, boating and flying, while the British prime minister urged his countrymen only to heat one room in their homes during the winter.

Energy Crisis: Lasting Impact

The oil embargo was lifted in March 1974, but oil prices remained high, and the effects of the energy crisis lingered throughout the decade. In addition to price controls and gasoline rationing, a national speed limit was imposed and daylight saving time was adopted year-round for the period of 1974-75. Environmentalism reached new heights during the crisis, and became a motivating force behind policymaking in Washington . Various acts of legislation during the 1970s sought to redefine America’s relationship to fossil fuels and other sources of energy, from the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act (passed by Congress in November 1973, at the height of the oil panic) to the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and the creation of the Department of Energy in 1977.

As part of the movement toward energy reform, efforts were made to stimulate domestic oil production as well as to reduce American dependence on fossil fuels and find alternative sources of power, including renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, as well as nuclear power. However, after oil prices collapsed in the mid-1980s and prices dropped to more moderate levels, domestic oil production fell once more, while progress toward energy efficiency slowed and foreign imports increased.

READ MORE:  Climate Change History

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Indian Economy

Make Your Note

Global Energy Crisis and India’s Energy Dynamics

• 26 Dec 2022
• GS Paper - 3
• Solar Energy
• Renewable Energy
• Growth & Development
• Energy Security

This article is based on the “How India is filling its fuel tank amid ongoing global energy crisis” which was published in Economic Times on 25/12/2022. It talks about the Global Energy Crisis and challenges associated with it.

For Prelims: International Energy Agency (IEA), Current Account Deficit (CAD), Coal-based thermal power plants, Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), Green Energy Corridor (GEC), National Solar Mission (NSM), National Biofuels Policy and SATAT, Sustainable Development Goals, Green Energy Transition.

For Mains : Status of India’s Oil Imports, Major Concerns Related to India’s Energy Security, Initiatives Shaping India’s Energy Transition.

At times when the world is in the midst of a global energy crisis , the International Energy Agency (IEA) states that India’s energy demand could rise over 3% annually until 2030 due to urbanisation and industrialisation.

Though, India continues to make great strides with renewables deployment and efficiency policies. Climate change, supply logistic issues, geopolitical tension ( Russia-Ukraine War ), slow revival of the economy after the Covid-19 -induced lockdown have had a domino effect on the energy dynamics in India.

Therefore, to mitigate the continued risks to energy security, accelerating a shift to renewable sources and hastening the end of the dominance of fossil fuels should be a keystone of India’s Energy Security.

What is Energy Security and Status of India’s Oil Imports?

• Accessibility
• Affordability
• Availability
• India imports 80% of its oil needs and is the third largest oil consumer in the entire world. Also, India’s energy consumption is expected to grow 4.5% every year for the next 25 years.
• Recently due to high International Crude Oil Prices, Current Account Deficit (CAD) inflated because of higher cost of oil import, raising concerns about long term economic stability in India.

What are the Major Concerns Related to India’s Energy Security?

• Climate Change Induced Demand Surge: Stockpiles at the coal-based thermal power plants fell short despite this increase in domestic coal production , as the utilities were not prepared for the unprecedented heat wave caused by climate change in the country and the sharp surge in demand, which touched 201 gigawatts in April 2022.
• This dependency on the common resource pool led to a spike in the price of coal in the international market from $70 per tonne to $421 per tonne in March.
• 90% of them are women , who work close to these fuels in poorly ventilated kitchens.
• Petrol prices directly affect retail inflation. Diesel prices account for 60-70% of India's freight costs. High freight costs due to rise in diesel prices increase prices for products across the board.
• Increasing dependence on imported oil has placed India's energy security under severe strain, and geopolitical disruptions have exacerbated the problem.

What are the Initiatives Shaping India’s Energy Transition?

• Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA)
• Green Energy Corridor (GEC)
• National Solar Mission (NSM)
• National Biofuels Policy and SATAT
• Small Hydro Power (SHP)
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)
• International Solar Alliance (ISA)

What Should be the Way Forward?

• The use of renewable energy can contribute to the development of low-carbon development strategies and generate employment opportunities for the country's working population.
• In order to facilitate this, policy makers and other stakeholders should collect data that reveals intra-family and collective differences in energy, income, and gender disparity in order to bridge the energy gap between different social groups and protect them from any geopolitical shocks.
• Tackling these issues under a common umbrella with stringent monitoring mechanisms at the local level to oversee implementation of policies can help India realise the goal of Energy Security.
• As responsible mothers, wives, and daughters, women play a crucial role in social awareness of green energy transition.
• Committing to participatory governance principles,
• Actively promoting universal labour, land, and human rights, and
• Protecting, restoring and nurturing resilient, thriving ecological systems.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Q. With reference to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), which of the following statements is/are correct? (2015)

• It is a Public Limited Government Company.
• It is a Non-Banking Financial Company.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only  (c) Both 1 and 2  (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q. “Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.Comment on the progress made in India in this regard. (2018)

Your Article Library

Essay on energy crisis.

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An energy crisis, like any other crisis in the field of economic activity, can be brought about by a number of factors: organised labour strikes, embargoes by governments, over-consumption, aging infrastructure, and bottlenecks at production centres and port facilities.

Pipeline failures and other accidents may cause minor interruptions to energy supplies. A crisis could possibly emerge after infrastructure damage from severe weather.

Attacks by terrorists on important infrastructure are a possible problem for energy consumers: a successful strike on a West Asian facility could potentially cause global shortages. Political events—change of governments due to regime change, monarchy collapse, military occupation or a coup—may disrupt oil and gas production and create shortages.

The world over, the economy has come to be heavily dependent on oil consumption. Even a slight change in prices, or temporary stoppage of production or supply of oil, can cause major upheavals in economy.

In October 1973, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised the prices of oil from $ 1.5 per barrel to $ 7 per barrel. The reasons given were that oil prices were not in tune with the increase in prices of other commodities and that the countries wanted to make maximum profits while the limited reserves lasted. In 1979, the Iranian revolution caused a disruption in oil supplies.

The price in dollars per barrel shot up to 24 in 1979, 34 in 1981 before stabilising at around 20. As a result of the hike, economies were hit worldwide. The worst sufferers were the developing countries which did not have enough foreign exchange reserves to pay for oil imports. In the ensuing economic crisis, there were demands for higher wages, and cost of living went up.

Once again in 1990, there was a price hike oil as well as difficulty in meeting demand because of the Gulf War.

The 1973 and 1979 crises forced the world community to improve oil-using technology, develop alternative sources and develop indigenous potential (as in India). Vigorous efforts were made worldwide to improve the internal combustion engine for better efficiency and mileage.

Since 2003, price of oil has gone up because of the continued global increase in demand coupled with stagnation in production.

In 2008, the Central Asia energy crisis was caused by abnormally cold temperatures and low water levels in an area dependent on hydroelectric power. Despite having significant hydrocarbon reserves, in February 2008, the President of Pakistan announced plans to tackle energy shortages that were reaching crisis stage. At the same time the South African president was appeasing fears of a prolonged electricity crisis in South Africa. The South African crisis, which may last to 2012, led to large price rise for platinum in February 2008 and reduced gold production.

China experienced severe energy shortages towards the end of 2005 and again in early 2008. During the latter crisis it suffered severe damage- to power networks along with diesel and coal shortages.

It has been predicted that in the coming years after 2009 the United Kingdom will suffer an energy crisis due to its commitments to reduce coal fired power stations, its politicians’ unwillingness to set up new nuclear power stations to replace those that will be de-commissioned in a few years (even though they will not be running in time to stop a full blown crisis) and unreliable sources and sources that are running out of oil and gas.

The world’s population continues to grow at a quarter of a million people per day, increasing the consumption of energy. The per capita energy consumption of China, India and other developing nations continues to increase as the people living in these countries adopt more energy intensive lifestyles.

At present a small part of the world’s population consumes a large part of its resources, with the United States and its population of 300 million people consuming far more oil than China with its population of 1.3 billion people. Ultimately, demands over stripping supply and environmental impact are likely to be the major factors in an energy crisis.

The reserves of coal, oil, gas are limited, besides these being agents of global warming. Hydro-electricity is capital-intensive and environmentally sensitive. Nuclear energy is expensive and potentially hazardous, while over- exploitation of wood and animal wastes leads to environmental degradation and ecological imbalance. Steps need to be taken so that the world may avert an energy crisis of disastrous dimensions.

Energy policies need to be formulated or reformed to meet the needs of energy security.

Energy security refers to continuous energy availability for the economy at all times at prices that can be compared to what the countries of the world pay for energy.

There are multiple means to ensure energy security. One way is that of storing fuels in large quantities so that supply disruption for some time would not produce a tremendous effect. Large economies therefore build strategic reserves of oil and gas. India, too, has begun doing so. However, storing vast amounts of fuel is very expensive. It requires huge storage facilities. It also means a large capital would be blocked for maintaining the large inventories for a long time.

The cost for this will be passed on to the economy. People will be affected by high price rise in fuels even if oil companies are asked to maintain strategic reserves as they will pass on the increase in their operating costs to the people. If the government itself funds the reserves entirely, it will raise taxes, or borrow, which means a higher tax or interest burden.

Energy security can be improved by other methods. Diversifying the kinds of fuels used is one way, especially as supply disruptions cannot happen in all fuels and in every country supplying energy at the same time. Even the energy supply sources in geographical terms need to be diversified. The modes of fuel transport can be expanded.

For instance, gas can come through liquefied natural gas carried by ships. But one of the best means concerns demands side management to develop energy efficiency and bring down energy demand. Japan did something similar after the oil shocks of the 1970s when it brought in gains in energy efficiency in its economy in which increasing the cost of energy played an important part.

In Europe the oil phase-out in Sweden is an initiative the government has taken to provide energy security.

Another mitigation measure is the setting up of a cache of secure fuel reserves like the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve in case of national emergency. Chinese energy policy includes specific targets within their 5 year plans.

Conclusions that the world is heading towards an unprecedented large and potentially devastating global energy crisis due to a decline in the availability of cheap oil have led to calls for a decreasing dependency on fossil fuel. Other ideas have been proposed which concentrate on improved, energy-efficient design and development of urban infrastructure in developing nations.

In response to the petroleum crisis, the principles of green energy and sustainable living movements gain popularity.

Efficiency mechanisms such as ‘megawatt power’ can encourage significantly more effective use of current generating capacity. “Negawatt power’ is a term used to describe the trading of increased efficiency, using consumption efficiency to increase available market supply rather than by increasing plant generation capacity. As such, it is a demand- side as opposed to a supply-side measure.

Briefly, the following steps could help overcome the crisis:

1. Discourage oil-intensive activities.

2. Replace oil by alcohol-based fuels from sugarcane and other crops.

3. Develop more efficient techniques for liquefaction of coal so that it can be transported over long distances at lower costs.

4. Prevent fires and roof collapse accidents in coal mines.

5. Develop safer, cheaper technology for nuclear, solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal energy.

6. Get developed nations to provide funds ‘and technology to natural resource-rich developing nations to utilise energy sources efficiently.

7. David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell University, has called for massive reduction in world populations in order to avoid a permanent global energy crisis. The implication is that cheap oil has created a human overshoot beyond earth’s carrying capacity which will inevitably lead to an energy crisis.

So, sustainable balance must be maintained between economic development and population growth.

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• Essay on Energy: Importance and Sources
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Essay on Energy Crisis in the World

January 12, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

Table of Contents

What do you mean by energy and what are the different forms of energy?

The capacity present in any physical system, whether it is a human being or machine, to do any sort of work is referred as energy. Energy is present everywhere. But every human who is living and surviving on this earth needs to understand that if energy is present in us or around us, it does not mean that it is meant only for doing work.

Energy has many uses. Some sources of energy are forever while some are only for a fixed duration of time. It needs to be stored as well apart from using the available energy. Energy always remains the same. It is just that it is transformed from one form of energy to another.

There different forms of energy like heat energy, light energy, Kinetic energy, potential energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, chemical energy and nuclear energy. Heat energy is also known thermal energy. In this form of energy, atoms or molecules move from one part to the other.

This form of energy is related to the temperature of any substance or body. In light energy, the photons are the main form of energy. Kinetic energy is related the energy present in any moving body. Potential energy is the energy which affected because of the position of an object or body.

Mechanical energy is a combination or rather a total of potential energy and kinetic energy. Electrical energy refers to the energy that is produced because of the movement of charged particles like protons, electrons and ions. Magnetic energy is produced by any magnetic field.

Chemical reactions formed or broken due to the chemical bonds between molecules and atoms results in chemical energy. Nuclear energy is a very strong energy and this formed when protons and neutrons interact with each other.

Different sources of energy

There are different forms and sources of energy. All human beings and machines need energy to perform tasks. It does not matter that it is a machine or human being. Everyone needs energy to do the work. Without the energy no work can be started and completed.

The sources of energy mean that from where we get all the different forms of energy. As there are many forms of energy, sometimes we do not get the form of energy we want. But that energy can be transformed to another form of energy which can be of our use.

The biological systems of nature get energy from the sun. This energy can be received directly or indirectly. These plants are further consumed by animals and human beings to get energy for their body.

The different sources of energy come in two categories. These two categories are renewable sources of energy and non-renewable sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy are those sources which are present naturally in large quantity and they can be replenished, that is, they are not limited and will not be over.

While non-renewable sources of energy are just the opposite of renewable. They are available in a limited quantity and will get over some day in the future. The renewable sources of energy do not harm the nature. They are environment friendly. But the non-renewable sources of energy and their use harm the nature and cause disruption.

The different renewable sources of energy are air, water, sun, biomass, hydrogen and the inner earth layers. Air helps to produce wind energy, water for hydro-electric energy, sun for solar energy, biomass for many alternative fuels and geothermal energy is made from the inner layers of the earth.

In order to produces these different forms of energy from the renewable sources is not easy. It is hard and requires a lot of effort compared to the non-renewable ones. This is because one does not what these sources will give us as an output.

The different non-renewable sources of energy are coal, nuclear energy, oil and natural gas. The non-renewable sources of energy are used on a large scale. This is why it is preferred more than the renewable source. But as this source of energy is used on a large scale, they are getting over very fast.

The use of non-renewable sources of energy must be controlled otherwise in the future we will not have the energy which is produced by the different non-renewable sources of energy.

Causes of energy crisis in the world

The problem of energy crisis in the world is a major concern for every one of us. This is because the limited source of energy that is present on the earth is reducing at a very rapid rate but still the demands are increasing with the passage of time. The topic of energy crisis is very big. Most of us do not understand this major issue until and unless we ourselves face some sort of crisis.

For example: When our LPG cylinder gets over at our house and there is no extra cylinder for emergency, we run helter skelter in search of one from our neighbors or relatives. Another example is when we need to fill our vehicle with the fuel and there is none left in the gas station.

We get tensed and go in search for another gas station to get the fuel. The energy crisis is increasing day by day in the world. Everyone may not notice it. This issue needs to be solved with enough hard work and efforts. We do not understand this issue because this is a complex and that is why the energy crisis has not been solved till now.

There are many causes of energy crisis in the world. First cause is over consumption. People over consume the fuels like gas, oil and coal. As these are over consumed, it further results in pollution and harms our water and oxygen. The second reason is overpopulation.

Population is increasing day by day and with the increase in population there is rise in the demands also. This is why the resources are drained due to overuse. The other reason is no proper infrastructure. Due to poor infrastructure, the available resources are not used properly.

Not only this, an infrastructure which is not upgraded regularly, they restrict the optimum use of energy. People do not understand that non-renewable sources of energy will get over some day. But still they are used excessively. But this is just the opposite in case of renewable sources.

They are available in plenty. So, humans need to understand that these renewable sources must be used so that the non-renewable sources of energy are not excessively used. In some places people use energy excessively. Even when they do not need it, still they use the energy sources and waste them. Even during wars, battles and natural calamities a lot of energy gets wasted.

Solutions for energy crisis in the world

The problem of energy crisis in the world can be solved but this needs responsibilities and honest effort. Just thinking about the solutions to solve this issue does not matter. It is important to implement these solutions in reality as well.

First solution is people should use more of renewable resources than the non-renewable resources. This is necessary because the limited resources, that is, the non-renewable resources are used properly and not excessively. It is important to store the non-renewable resources as they are present in limited quantity.

People should start buying those appliances for the household purpose which will save energy rather than wasting them. In the present day, where the technologies have become modernized which uses energy according to the need. For example, the use of lights as per our needs.

There are different lights which can be controlled and used how much we want. We do not require bright light every time. So, we can reduce the amount of light how much we want. This will help to save the light and electrical energy. There should be focus on energy simulation.

People should use energy audit. This will make them realize where the energy is getting lost. After that steps can be taken to save that energy and use it efficiently. Carbon emissions must be restricted and promotion of green environment is done.

Any activity which harms the environment must be stopped. People must be educated about the issue of energy crisis in the world and how to use the different form of energy efficiently.

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Short essay on the energy crisis in the world

Energy is the most important requirement for economic development and social transformation for all the countries in the world.

It is a vital input in fields of production. We need more energy to produce more.

One can say that economic development and prosperity of a nation largely depends upon the availability of energy.

Energy is required to do all kinds of works. We need energy to drive vehicles, to cook food, to run factories even for keeping ourselves fit.

Image Sources: i.ytimg.com

In old days man largely depended on coal. But coal once used cannot be put to use again. So man found crude oil.

Electricity is generated from water. But sufficient water is not available everywhere. Both coal and crude oil are limited in quantity.

Thus, we have to think of using these items in the minimum possible manner.

In today’s world when rapid success is being achieved in the field of science and technology, industries are also growing speedily.

But industriali­sation will not take place, if there is no energy available to run our factories and industries.

Therefore, one of the major concerns of the world today is to increase the availability of energy by producing more energy.

This is done by tapping new sources of energy as well as by conserving energy because energy saved is energy generated.

One way of looking at the difference between the prosperity of rich (developed) and the poor (both developing and under-developed) countries is to see how much energy they consume.

While the developed countries consume more than 85 per cent of the amount of energy available in the world, the developing and the under-developed nations use only the remain­ing 15 percent of energy.

It is needless to add here that it is developing and under-developed countries who need energy for their survival, economic growth, self-reliance and to raise the standard of living of their people.

The great success India has achieved in the fields of industry, transport and agriculture has been possible only because of ready availability of cheaper energy: Yet the energy scene in Indian today is far from being satisfactory.

The present per capita commercial energy consumption is only about a tenth of the world’s average consumption of energy. It also, in a way, is one of the reasons of our low level of income.

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Essay on “Energy Crisis in the World” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Energy Crisis in the World

The World on the Brink of an Oil Crisis

Harnessing New sources of Energy

Essay No. 01

    In an industrially advanced world of today, the demand for energy is increasing day by day. Energy is required to run our factories and machines, to run our planes, trains, cars, and buses, to drive our ships and submarines, to make the wheel move.  The major sources of energy so far have been coal and oil.  But with the passage of time, coal and oil are bound to be used up.  According to all indications, it is clear that the world is heading fast towards a major energy crisis.  It is estimated that at the present rate of consumption, the entire estimated range of recoverable oil in the world will be completely exhausted by the year 2015 or 2025.

                The position in respect of coal in the world is also equally bad.  In another 25 to 30 years, the coal mines would stop giving out coal.  It will be a difficult situation.  The developing countries of the world have already started looking for other sources of energy.  Atomic energy, which promises a big hope, is full of risks and hazards.  Moreover, atomic energy can be produced only at a very high cost. It has been calculated that nuclear construction costs are rising every day.  They have now risen to 1000 dollars a kilowatt from one hundred dollars in 1960.  Again, nuclear plants do not last forever.  Their average life is 50 years.  When they are dead, they cannot be dismantled like any other plant.  They have to be buried deep and guarded forever.  For these reasons, the world has to think twice before committing itself completely to nuclear power.

                Scientists are now trying to harness solar, biogas, water, and air reserves.  Water is being used in a big way to produce hydroelectric power at comparatively cheaper rates.  Similarly, air mills are being developed in advanced countries of the world.  Solar energy, too, has a bright future.  Thermal generating units depending upon solar energy are being developed at a fast rate.  Giant dishes are made to concentrate the sunlight on the thermal generators which use this sunlight to produce energy.  Animal and human wastes are also being rapidly exploited as a source of energy.

                The position in respect of energy in India is not very discouraging.  The production of oil in the country is fast increasing.  It has doubled from 15 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes during the last five years.  India is able to produce 60 percent of her needs but it cannot hope to be self-sufficient soon.  India has already started harnessing sources other than oil and coal.  But she can do so only with the constraints of the capital resources available to her.  Thirty percent of the country’s capital investment under the Seventh Plan was used for the energy sector.  At present, we are paying a very high price for our petrol.  Kerosene, the poor man’s fuel, is rationed.  Water pumps in the agricultural farms have no diesel, shortage of furnace oil is threatening the closure of several industries.

                A few years ago, our oil experts were highly optimistic as they struck oil in the Bombay High wells, “We have hit the jackpot,” said they.  The ONGC authorities have discovered oil at a few more discovered oil fields.  As the situation stands today we are not producing enough while our consumption is increasing every week.

                All this only means that our planners must rise to the occasion and evolve a national energy policy to make use of all the available sources so that the country is saved from a difficult situation and the sun. On the international field, the developed countries of the world must launch a massive program for harnessing all available sources of energy.  They must also help the relatively less affluent countries to harness new sources of energy i.e. unconventional sources of energy.

Essay No. 02

Energy Crisis

God sent Adam with very few needs and strong limbs to fulfill those needs. As time passed and civilization advanced, man found himself more and more aloof from nature, lazy, luxurious, and dependent on machines. And machines required energy.

In the advanced world of today, the demand for energy is increasing day by day. We have machines and factories, buses, cars, trains, planes, ships, and submarines. Energy is required to run them. But this is not all. Man has become so lazy that he does not like even to wind his watch. So energy is being used for running clocks and watches, typewriters, shaving razors, and many more things.

Wood was the first source of energy. Then came oil and passing through the stage of atomic energy, is now looking forward to solar energy.

We are naturally anxious because we know that a day. may ultimately come when we have no more coal or oil. It will mean an energy crisis. People who have made careful calculations, feel that we will have used all available oil by the year 2025, and coal mines will also be empty in nearly thirty years. Man is on the lookout for other sources of energy. Our present hope seems to rest on nuclear power.

But nuclear power is full of many risks. It is very explosive. Accidents and mishaps in nuclear reactors are very hazardous. The radio-active waves from a nuclear plant that has broken down are a to man. Moreover. when a nuclear plant is dead after years it has to be buried and guarded forever.

The world would thus face an energy crisis. The condition of India is no better. The demand for energy in India is growing rapidly. It is estimated that if things continue at this rate, India will require four times of energy by the year 2010. The Government of India is taking steps to supply energy for non-commercial purposes from various sources such as bio-gas and quick-growing forest plantation but the rural poor are not able to pay the high cost of energy. Scientists all over the world are trying to meet the challenge. They are trying to harness solar, water, and air reserves.

Hydro-electric power is very cheaper, so the air mills are also cheaper. Solar energy has bright hopes for human beings. However, it is very expensive to establish the necessary infrastructure for tapping solar energy. Giant dishes are made to concentrate the sunlight on the thermal generators which use this sunlight to produce energy.

We shall have to make all possible efforts to save us from total darkness and helplessness. Scientists are doing their best to achieve this objective.

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Energy Crisis: Causes, Impacts and Way Forward

• Aamir Sohail
• December 8, 2023
• CSS , CSS Essays , CSS Solved Essays , Energy Crisis

CSS and PMS Solved Essays | E nergy Crisis: Causes, Impacts and Way Forward

Aamir Sohail , a Sir Syed Kazim Ali student, has attempted the CSS essay “ Energy Crisis: Causes, Impacts and Way Forward ” on the given pattern, which Sir  Syed Kazim Ali  teaches his students. Sir Syed Kazim Ali has been Pakistan’s top English writing and CSS, PMS essay and precis coach with the highest success rate of his students. The essay is uploaded to help other competitive aspirants learn and practice essay writing techniques and patterns to qualify for the essay paper.

1- Introduction

2- Understanding the term: energy crisis

3- A brief overview of the energy crisis in Pakistan on all fronts

4- What are the causes behind the severe energy crisis in the country?

• Case in point : The Ministry of Power Division report, 2023, highlights demand of 30,154 MW against supply of 22,000 MW
• Case in point : Guddu thermal power station established in 1968 and Muzaffargarh thermal power station in 1978, glaring examples in this case
• Case in point : Indecision and propaganda on Kalabagh and Diamer-Bhasha dams
• Case in point : Pakistan Today report estimating 30% of power losses in transmission
• Case in point : Inefficient household appliances and industrial process
• Case in point : Research by the Asian Development Bank concluding that oil accounts for 31% of the total energy supplies in Pakistan

5- What are the consequences the country faces due to the rising energy crisis?

• Case in point : The Ministry of Finance reporting Pakistan’s outstanding circular debt as 2.31 trillion in 2022
• Case in point : Increasing of up to 27 per cent in NEPRA tariff with effect from FY 23-24
• Case in point : Closure of textile and steel mills in the country
• Case in point : Express Tribune report, 2023, indicating $2.03 billion in petroleum-related imports
• Case in point : The 2022 Floods in the country leading to power outages and blackouts
• Case in point : August 23 protests in the country against massive increase in bills

6- Suggestions to overcome the energy crisis faced by Pakistan

• ✓ To promote the use of renewable energy
• ✓ To mainstream energy policy in national agendas
• ✓ To revisit independent power purchase agreements and tariff determination
• ✓ To improve energy efficiency
• ✓ To attract investment in the energy sector
• ✓ To raise public awareness about energy conservation

7- Critical Analysis 8- Conclusion

The uninterrupted supply of energy is not only essential but also critical for the socioeconomic growth of a country. It not only enhances the quality of life for the citizens but also fuels the commercial activities of various industries, thereby driving sustainable economic growth. On the other hand, the energy supply disruption poses significant challenges for a country, undermines its socioeconomic fabric, and leads to a crisis dilemma. Unfortunately, Pakistan is struggling with an energy crisis that has severely impacted the country’s social and economic development. There are several reasons behind this catastrophic energy crisis, including the high supply-demand gap and aged power generation infrastructure. Furthermore, extravagant use of energy resources, inadequate management of power resources, and over-dependence on imported fuel have further exacerbated the situation. These issues have had grave consequences for the country, including a sharp increase in power prices and the surging of circular debt. Moreover, the crisis has led to the shutdown of several industries, affecting businesses’ productivity and ultimately leading to unemployment in the country. However, all hope is not lost. The rampant energy crisis can be overcome if the government introduces measures to promote renewable energy sources, encourage efficient energy use, and mainstream energy policy in critical national decisions. The government must prioritize this issue and take immediate steps to implement strategic plans to address this crisis. By doing so, not only will the energy crisis be overcome, but it will also pave the way for sustainable economic growth, employment opportunities, and a better quality of life for the citizens of Pakistan.

Energy crisis is the severe shortage of energy resources in a particular country or the world. It results from an imbalance between energy supply and demand, which results in a shortfall of energy to required consumers. Energy crises can lead to several adverse consequences for a country, including, but not limited to, economic, social, and political impacts. The recent global energy crisis is evident after COVID-19, which resulted from the war in Ukraine and the global shift towards clean energy.  

Pakistan has been grappling with a daunting energy crisis that has brought multifaceted challenges for the country. It has debilitated the country’s progress on the socioeconomic and environmental fronts. According to the Ministry of Power Division report 2023, the country’s electricity demand is 30,154 MWs against a supply of 22,000 MWs, resulting in a shortfall of over 8,000 MWs. The severe crisis has resulted in repeated load shedding, frequent power outages, and chronic electricity and gas supply disruptions to households and industries. The energy crisis has engulfed Pakistan on all fronts, and it is having negative impacts on the country’s economy, environment, and well-being. 

Myriad causes have led to the energy crisis in Pakistan. The high demand-supply gap is the major reason behind the country’s energy crisis. The energy demand constantly increases while the supply remains stagnant due to production constraints. According to the Ministry of Power Division report 2023, the country’s electricity demand is 30,154 MWs against a supply of 22,000 MWs, resulting in a shortfall of over 8,000 MWs. This has led to the widening gap between supply and demand, which has put pressure on the country’s energy infrastructure and made it difficult to meet household and commercial demands. Hence, the increasing gap between demand and supply has led to the energy crisis in Pakistan.

Second, the aged power generation plants and energy infrastructure have led to the energy crisis in the country. It has led to increased production costs, frequent operations closures, and repeated shortfalls in power generation targets. For instance, the Guddu thermal power station and Muzaffargarh thermal power station established in 1968 and 1978, respectively, have surpassed their useful life and are no longer operating at their optimum capacity. The energy infrastructure has not been improved considering the contemporary demands and trends, and as a result, it has led to lower power generation. Thus, the aged power generation plants and sub-standard energy infrastructure have contributed to the energy crisis.

Besides aged power generation plants, another reason behind the severe energy crisis in Pakistan is the deadlock on major power projects. Several projects were initiated with great zeal and commitment, but their completion failed to materialize due to multiple issues. This is best illustrated with the examples of Kalabagh Dam and Diamer-Bhasha Dam, where indecision and propaganda have halted the development and execution of the projects. The latter has been stalled due to financial constraints and security concerns, while the former has remained in limbo due to regional disputes and political propaganda. Therefore, the deadlocks and delays on significant power projects have led to the energy crisis in Pakistan.

Moreover, the inadequate management of the country’s power resources has led towards the energy crisis. The transmission and distribution network is outdated and inefficient, which results in significant energy losses. According to a report by Pakistan Today, the country has 30% of power losses during transmission. The power loss during the transmission and distribution process further constrains the limited energy supply, ultimately leading to power outages and energy shortfall in the country. Hence, the inadequate management of the country’s power resources, particularly during the transmission and distribution process, has led to the energy crisis.

Furthermore, the lack of energy conservation and efficiency measures has further exacerbated the energy crisis in Pakistan. The extravagant use of energy sources and inefficient usage of power resources in residential and commercial sectors have made it difficult for the country to meet the growing energy demands. For instance, inefficient household appliances and unproductive industrial processes have worsened the situation. Many Pakistani households use old equipment that consumes more energy than updated appliances. The industrial sector consumes more energy due to adherence to traditional ways of production without being aware of the optimum energy mix. Hence, the lack of energy conservation and efficiency measures has contributed to the energy crisis in Pakistan.

In addition, over-dependence on imported fuel for power generation is also the major factor behind the energy crisis in Pakistan. Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is primarily based on non-renewable energy resources, and the country imports fossil fuels to meet its energy demands. According to research by the Asian Development Bank, oil accounts for 31% of the total energy supplies in Pakistan. The over-dependence on imported fuel makes the country vulnerable to global oil price changes and supply disruptions, thus affecting the country’s power generation capacity. Therefore, the excessive reliance on imported fuel has contributed to the energy crisis in the country.

These factors indeed have grave consequences for Pakistan. First, the surging of circular debt is a major consequence of the energy crisis. In circular debt, different entities in the energy supply chain own each other some dues. In Pakistan, it has mounted due to a series of non-payments to power plants. According to the Ministry of Finance, Pakistan has an outstanding circular debt of Rs. 2.31 trillion in 2022. Circular debt has surged due to the increasing cost of electricity and non-payments from consumers, ultimately resulting in power plants’ long-outstanding receivables from the government. Hence, the massive rise in circular debt is a major impact of the energy crisis.

Second, the rise of power prices for consumers is one of the primary consequences of the energy crisis. Power prices in Pakistan reached an unprecedented level in 2023 and bewildered citizens due to the excessive increase in electricity tariffs. For instance, the National Electric and Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has announced up to a 27% increase in electricity tariffs from the Financial Year 2024. Despite the government’s efforts to control price hikes, electricity prices are inflated due to a severe energy crisis. Therefore, the increase in electricity tariff is a major consequence of the energy crisis.

Besides rising prices, the energy crisis has contributed to the shutdown of industries in the country. Due to frequent load shedding and power outages, it has disrupted business activities and forced businesses to shut down. This is best illustrated by the case of textile and steel mills in the country, which depend heavily on the smooth energy supply to operate and sustain in the competitive world. However, the unreliable power supply has made it difficult for the mills to plan their productions and operations, ultimately leading to decreased production and potential closures. Therefore, the energy crisis is the major reason behind the closure of industries in the country.

Furthermore, the energy crisis has contributed to the surge in the current account deficit. The imported fuel holds a major percentage in the country’s energy mix. According to the Express Tribune report, in 2023, Pakistan imports $2.03 billion in petroleum-related products annually. The energy crisis has led to increased demand for imported fuel, which has put pressure on scarce foreign exchange reserves and led to a current account deficit in the country. The country’s reliance on imported fuel and the payment in foreign currency has contributed to the massive rise in the current account deficit.

In addition, disruptions in electricity and gas supplies are also a consequence of the energy crisis. Frequent power shortages and outages have disrupted both residential and commercial activities. For example, the 2022 floods in the country led to power outages and blackouts in major portions of the country. These disruptions in power supplies are not only because of an increase in power shortfalls but also due to inadequate transmission and distribution crises that further exacerbated the situation. Thus, the energy crisis has resulted in frequent disruptions in power supplies to the country’s citizens.

Last but not least, the energy crisis has led to social unrest. Regular load shedding in the country, high electricity rates, and severe economic implications of the energy crisis have pulled people to the streets to protest against the crisis. The case is best illustrated by the August 23 protests in Pakistan, where a large number of citizens held protests against the massive increase in electricity bills. The unprecedented hike in power prices, especially from July 2023, has undeniable adverse impacts on the country’s citizens, who are increasingly turning to demonstrations to record their grievances against the government. Hence, the social unrest due to protests and demonstrations against the increase in bills has, in fact, been caused by the energy crisis.

To overcome the energy crisis, the country should promote using renewable energy. Renewable energy sources such as solar, hydel, and geothermal power offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. Indeed, the country can reduce its reliance on imported fuel by shifting towards renewable energy sources to meet its domestic demands. Furthermore, energy policy must be mainstreamed in all national agendas to counter the menace. It means incorporating energy policy in critical national decisions and policy-making at the strategic level to ensure that the country’s energy demands are met adequately. 

Second, the country should revisit independent power purchase agreements (IPPAs) and tariff determination methods to counter the energy crisis. Independent power purchase agreements between power producers and distribution companies were signed at high rates during the energy crisis, and the cost-sharing mechanism was inadequately adhered to. The country can overcome the energy crisis by re-negotiating IPPAs, ensuring transparency in tariff determination, and identifying loopholes in tariff petitions. In addition, attracting investment in the energy sector is crucial for addressing the energy crisis in Pakistan. By providing a favourable investment climate, the country can attract investors in the power sector, ensuring increased production, improvements in energy infrastructure, and a sustainable energy mix.

Furthermore, the country can overcome the energy crisis by improving energy efficiency. It should focus on promoting efficient energy appliances and technologies, improving buildings’ energy standards, and conducting energy audits to curb wastage and inefficient consumption of scarce power resources. Lastly, raising public awareness about energy conservation is imperative to address the crisis. Several measures, such as public awareness campaigns, community leaders’ engagement, and media collaboration, can aid in overpowering the crisis in the country. It will empower and educate the citizens and help eradicate reliance on imported fuel. Thus, Pakistan can overcome the energy crisis by mobilizing the public and ensuring energy-efficient practices.

To conclude, Pakistan faces an acute energy crisis that has debilitated social and economic developments in the country. The widening gap between the energy supply and demand has resulted in frequent load shedding and power outages in the country. While an efficient energy supply is essential for socioeconomic and environmental development in a country, its disruption poses severe challenges. It leads to a quagmire of issues for an energy-starved country. There are several reasons behind the severe energy crisis in the country, and they have grave consequences for Pakistan indeed, as evidenced by the unprecedented increase in power prices and the surging of circular debt in the country. Nevertheless, the rampant energy crisis could be overcome if the government introduces measures to promote renewable energy sources, encourages efficient energy use, and makes a mainstream energy policy.

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Ten p.m. arrives in Cairo’s Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood with the same dogged tenacity as it does anywhere else, but down the fluorescent shopping streets and in the sidewalk cafes, few people used to glance at the clock. It might have been near bedtime in other countries, but Cairo was practically still waking up.

That was summer in the past, season of sweat, and the city adapted its schedule. Days were for cooling inside, or at least avoiding the sun’s blitzkrieg. Nighttime offered mercy. Though the concrete sidewalks still belched up the day’s accumulated heat, the neighborhood came alive only after isha, the last of the five daily Muslim prayers. The day went on long into early morning.

Not this summer. With an energy shortage prompting the government to mandate earlier closing times , 10 p.m. now brings a dimming to Sayyida Zeinab: metal shutters are down or rolling toward the ground, turning the loudly colored, exuberantly lit storefronts to gray.

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Essay: To fix climate anxiety (and also climate change), we first have to fix individualism

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How do you cope? I feel the sorrow, the quiet plea for guidance every time someone asks me this question. As an environmental reporter dedicated to helping people make sense of climate change, I know I should have answers. But the truth is, it took me until now to face my own grief.

My heart keeps breaking whenever I meet yet another child struggling with asthma amid orange, smoke-filled skies. I, too, am reeling from the whiplash of extreme drought and extreme rain , and I’m still haunted by the thought of a mother having to call each of her daughters to say goodbye as the homes around her cave to fire.

Each year, as I reflect on my own reporting on the floods that keep getting worse and the toxic pollution building up in all forms of life , I find myself questioning whether I could ever justify bringing my own children into this world. I agonize over the amount of plastic we can’t avoid using and mourn the monarch butterflies that have vanished. With each new heat record shattered, and each new report declaring a code red for humanity , I can’t help but feel like we’re just counting down the days to our own extinction.

In the face of sea level rise, can we reimagine California’s vanishing coastline?

“Climate anxiety” is the term we now use to describe these feelings, but I must confess, I was perplexed when I first heard these words a few years ago. Anger, frustration, helplessness, exhaustion — these are the emotions I come across more often when getting to know the communities bracing for, or recovering from, the devastation of what they’ve long considered home.

Then a college student asked me about climate anxiety. It came up again on social media, and again in personal essays and polls. This paralyzing dread was suddenly the talk of the town — but it has also, very noticeably, remained absent in some circles.

All this has led me to wonder: What, exactly, is climate anxiety? And how should we cope? At first blush, this anxiety seems rooted in a fear that we’ll never go back to normal, that the future we were once promised is now gone. But who this “normal” is even for (and what we’re actually afraid of losing) speaks to a much more complicated question:

Is this anxiety pointing to a deeper responsibility that we all must face — and ultimately, is this anxiety something we can transcend?

For Jade Sasser, whose research on climate emotions has been grounded by her own experiences as a Black woman, these questions sharpened into focus during a research-methods seminar that she was teaching early last year at UC Riverside.

The class — all female, many from low-income immigrant communities — had been a fairly quiet group all quarter, so Sasser was surprised when the room completely erupted after she broached what she thought would be an academic, somewhat dispassionate discussion about climate change and the future.

Every student was suddenly talking, even yelling, over one another. Thought after thought tumbled out as they shared that not only does the future feel bleak when it comes to the job market, the housing crisis and whether their generation will ever be able to “settle down with kids” — but all this is many times worse when you’re not white, not documented and not born into a college-educated family.

How can they feel hopeful about the future, they asked, when, on top of everything already stacked against them, they also have to worry about wildfires, extreme heat and air pollution getting out of control?

‘It’s almost shameful to want to have children’

‘Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question’ asks: With American society feeling more socially and politically polarized than ever, is it right to bring another person into the world?

“It was literally a collective meltdown unlike anything I had ever experienced,” said Sasser, whose podcast and book, “ Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question, ” were largely inspired by her students that day. “I understood in that moment that you cannot assume someone does not also experience anxiety simply because their way of talking about it may not be the same as yours.”

It doesn’t help, she added, that many people don’t realize what they’re feeling is climate anxiety because the way we talk about it tends to center the experiences of white and more privileged people — people who have been insulated from oppression and have rarely (until now) had to worry about the safety of their own future.

“For a lot of people, climate anxiety looks a certain way: It looks very scared, it looks very sad, and it looks like a person who is ready, willing and able to talk about it,” Sasser said. “But for those who are experiencing many compounding forms of vulnerability at the same time, you can’t just pick out one part of it and say, ‘Oh, this is what’s causing me to feel this way.’”

A brave first step is to acknowledge privilege — and to support, and perhaps even learn, from those who have had to be resilient long before climate change became so overwhelming.

“For me, this work is a matter of survival,” said Kevin J. Patel, who grew up in South L.A. and has been fighting for climate justice since he was 11. He was contemplative, nodding, when I shared what I learned from Sasser, and he gently added that one privilege many communities don’t have is the ability to turn it off. Not everyone can go on a vacation or take a day to recharge, he said. Even having the time to talk about your sadness can be a luxury.

Feeling climate anxiety? These books offer glimmers of hope — and much-needed wisdom

Patel learned at a young age that not all communities get the same level of care. Growing up with hazy air, in a neighborhood hemmed in by the 10 and 110 freeways, Patel almost collapsed one day in front of his sixth-grade class when his heart suddenly started pounding at more than 300 beats per minute.

His parents, farmers from Gujarat, India, rushed Patel to the emergency room and held his hand while everyone around him thought he was dying. After months of hospital visits and procedures, doctors determined that he had developed a severe heart condition in large part due to the smog.

‘For me, this work is a matter of survival.’

— Kevin J. Patel

As he learned to live with an irregular heartbeat, he found joy in his family’s tiny garden and marveled at all the ladybugs that gathered on the tulsi, a special type of basil. He taught his classmates that food came from the ground, not the grocery store, and together, they went on to form an environmental club.

Today, Patel speaks with the hardened wisdom of someone who has experienced much more than the typical 23-year-old. He’s constantly doing something — whether it’s supporting a neighbor, getting water bottle refill stations installed at his school, or turning the idea of a Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commission into reality. For years, he has guided other marginalized youth through OneUpAction , a grassroots environmental group that he built from the ground up.

Even if he doesn’t call it anxiety, he admits he sometimes has trouble focusing, and there’s a tenseness in his body that can be hard to shake off. But he’s usually able to turn it around by talking to his friends or elders, or by reciting his favorite proverb:

They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.

“It’s not about what I need, it’s about what my community needs,” he said. “There is joy in caring for one another. There is joy in coming together to fight for a future that we believe in.”

When talking about climate anxiety, it’s important to differentiate whether you’re assessing these emotions as a mental health condition, or as a cultural phenomenon.

Let’s start with mental health: Polls show climate anxiety is on the rise and that people all around the world are losing sleep over climate change. Organizations like the Climate-Aware Therapist Directory and the American Psychiatric Assn. have put together an increasing number of guides and resources to help more people understand how climate change has affected our emotional well-being.

Poll shows Californians’ climate anxiety is on the rise

Just knowing that climate change is getting worse can trigger serious psychological responses. And the shock and trauma are all the more great if you’ve already had to live through the kinds of disasters that keep the rest of us up at night.

It’s also important to note that social media has magnified our sense of doom. What you see on social media tends to be a particularly intense and cherry-picked version of reality, but studies show that’s exactly how the vast majority of young people are getting their information about climate change: online rather than in school.

But you can’t treat climate anxiety like other forms of anxiety, and here’s where the cultural politics come in: The only way to make climate anxiety go away is to make climate change go away, and given the fraught and deeply systemic underpinnings of climate change, we must also consider this context when it comes to our climate emotions. How we feel is just as much a product of the narratives that have shaped the way we perceive and respond to the world.

“Climate anxiety can’t be limited to just a clinical setting — we have to take it out of the therapy room and look at it through a lens of privilege, and power, and the economic, historical and social structures that are at the root of the problem,” said Sarah Jaquette Ray, whose book “ A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety ” is a call to arms to think more expansively about our despair. “Treating a person’s climate anxiety without challenging these systems only addresses the symptoms, not the causes... and if white or more privileged emotions get the most airtime, and if we don’t see how climate is intersecting with all these other problems, that can result in a greater silencing of the people most impacted.”

Ray, an environmental humanist who chairs the environmental studies program at Cal Poly Humboldt, also emphasized that our distress can actually be a catalyst for much-needed change. These emotions are meant to shake us out of complacency, to sound the alarm to the very real crisis before us. But if we don’t openly talk about climate anxiety as something that is not only normal but also expected, we run the risk of further individualizing the problem. We already have a tendency to shut down and feel alone in our sorrows, which traps us into thinking only about ourselves.

“One huge reason why climate anxiety feels so awful is this feeling of not being able to do anything about it,” Ray said. “But if you actually saw yourself as part of a collective, as interconnected with all these other movements doing meaningful things, you wouldn’t be feeling this despair and loneliness.”

The trick to fixing climate anxiety is to fix individualism, she said. Start small, tap into what you’re already good at, join something bigger than yourself.

And by fixing individualism, as many young activists like Patel have already figured out, we just might have a better shot at fixing climate change.

Let us consider, for a moment, how the words that we use can also limit the way we think about our vulnerability and despair.

Something as simple as the “climate” in “climate anxiety” and how we define “environment” can unintentionally reinforce who we center in the conversation.

“In Nigeria, what we call our environment — it’s not just trees and mountains — it’s also about our food, our jobs, the biodiversity that gives us the life support that we need to thrive every day. That’s what we call our environment; it’s about our people,” said Jennifer Uchendu, who founded SustyVibes , a youth-led sustainability group based in her home country, as well as the Eco-Anxiety in Africa Project , which seeks to validate the emotions and experiences of communities often overlooked in climate conversations. “So if people are being oppressed by the system, it is still linked to our idea of the environment.”

Many of Uchendu’s elders have expressed a lifetime of feeling frustrated and powerless, for example, but she said they didn’t immediately connect these feelings to climate change because “climate anxiety” sounded to them like a new and elite phenomenon.

Editorial: California can make climate polluters pay for the mess they have made of Earth

We hear so often today that climate change is the existential crisis of our time, but that dismisses the trauma and violence to all the people who have been fighting to survive for centuries. Colonization, greed and exploitation are inseparable from climate change, Uchendu said, but we miss these connections when we consider our emotions only through a Western lens.

For Jessa Calderon, a Chumash and Tongva songwriter, these disconnects are ever-present in the concrete-hardened rivers snaking through Los Angeles, and the sour taste of industrialization often singeing the air. In her darkest moments, her heart hurts wondering if her son, Honor, will grow up to know clean water.

Her voice cracked as she recalled a brown bear that had been struck dead on the freeway near the Cajon Pass. As she watched strangers gawk at the limp body and share videos online, she wished she had been able to put the bear to rest and sing him into the spirit world.

“If we don’t see them as our people, then we have no hope for ourselves as a people, because we’re showing that we care about nothing more than ourselves,” she said. “And if we care about nothing more than ourselves, then we’re going to continue to devastate each other and the land.”

It is not too late to turn your climate anxiety into climate empathy. Acknowledging the emotional toll on people beyond yourself can be an opportunity to listen and support one another. Embracing our feelings — and then finding others who also want to turn their fear into action — can be the missing spark to much-needed social and environmental healing.

There is also wisdom to be learned in the songs and traditions of past movements, when people banded together — for civil rights, for women’s suffrage — and found ways to keep hope alive against all odds. And the more we look to the young people still caring for their elders in Nigeria, and to our Indigenous neighbors who continue to sing and love and tend to every living being, the better we might also comprehend the resilience required of all of us in the warming years ahead.

Opinion: Here are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change

So how should we cope? For Patel, living with his irregular but unwavering heartbeat, he finds strength in the words of adrienne maree brown, who famously wrote in “ Emergent Strategy ” that in the same way our lives are shaped today by our ancestors, we ourselves are future ancestors. Calderon, who similarly taught her son to leave this Earth better with every passing generation, confided to me that on the days when the sorrow feels too great, she sneaks off to plant native manzanita seeds in neighborhoods stripped of plants and trees.

As I’m reminded of all the love we can still sow for the future, I think of Phoenix Armenta, a longtime climate justice organizer in Oakland who has inspired numerous people, including myself, to take heart in all the times we actually got it right. (Remember acid rain? It was a huge problem, but collective action inspired multiple countries to join forces in the 1980s, and we did what needed to be done.)

“Imagine what kind of world you actually want to live in and start working to make that happen,” said Armenta, who recently made the switch to government planning to help more communities find their voice and determine their own visions for the future.

To grieve the world as we know it is to miss out on opportunities to transform our world for the better. To believe we have nothing left to hope for is a self-fulfilling void. We must find the courage to care, to change, to reimagine the systems that got us into such a devastating crisis in the first place — and we must allow ourselves to dream.

“But it can’t just be my dream, or your dream. It has to be our collective dream,” Armenta said. “I’ve known for a very long time that I can’t save the world, but we can save the world together.”

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Rosanna Xia is an environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her award-winning book, “ California Against the Sea ,” has been praised as a poetic and mind-expanding exploration of what we stand to lose in the face of rising water.

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Ukraine warns Russian strikes on power grid could spark nuclear crisis

Energy minister german galushchenko said moscow’s barrages are also pushing nuclear risks closer to kyiv’s borders with the european union.

Ukraine’s top energy official warned that further Russian air strikes against the country’s energy grid could trigger an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still under Kyiv’s control.

Ukraine has thousands of electricity substations. But at stake are 10 crucial nodes linked to nuclear power plants, whose destruction could plunge the country into darkness and provoke a radiological emergency, Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

Russia’s barrages are pushing nuclear risks closer to Ukraine’s borders with the European Union, he add.

“They know exactly what they’re doing,” Galushchenko said on Tuesday from the Ukrainian capital. “It’s not accidental that they are attacking substations critical for nuclear safety.”

Substations maintain stability by regulating high-voltage transmission on power grids. Unlike fossil fuel or renewable plants, nuclear generation needs constant flow of electricity to keep safety systems running. Without it, fuel inside a reactor’s core risks overheating, threatening an uncontrolled, dangerous release of radiation.

Leading olive oil producer Spain turns to olive stones for fuel

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New Zealand house prices rise on month, more confidence in market, survey says

New Zealand house prices rose in the last month, with the data indicating more confidence in the market, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) said on Thursday.