Energy Use in the USA

Energy Use in the USA

• The United States of America is the world's largest energy producer, consumer, and net importer of energy. How? Why?– Trends in energy consumption– Social explanations– Current situation

Top World Oil Consumers, 2006(thousand barrels per day)

(www.EIS.gov)

United States

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Energy Consumption: Total energy consumption per capita

Units: Kilograms of oil equivalent (kgoe) per personWorld Resources Institute: Earth Trends

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History of US energy use by source (quadrillion BTU)

Attitudes towards energy use

• The “American Dream”• Environmentalism• Responsible Consumerism

The “American Dream”

• Current concept has roots in 1950's

• Any one can “make it” - regardless of background

• House in the suburbs, two cars

• Electricity consumption by 107 million U.S. households in 2001 totaled 1,140 billion kWh. The most significant end uses were central air-conditioning and refrigerators, each of which accounted for about 14 percent of the U.S. Total. (

The automobile

• 84% of travel in USA by car

• Fuel efficiency has not traditionally been important to American consumers

• SUV's

Passenger vehicles in the US

• According to the US Bureau of Transit Statistics for 2004 there are 243,023,485 registered passenger vehicles in the US

Passenger Vehilcesin the USA

carstrucks/SUV's6-wheel trucksmotorcycles

Fuel consumption of US cars(www.bts.gov)

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 20040

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Environmentalism

• Modern environmentalism began in 1962 with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

• Anti-pollution legislation

• Post-environmentalism?

Pollution

• 1963 Clean Air Act• 1990 – amendment to the clean air act began

system of carbon trading.• 1997: The US signs the Kyoto protocol -but never

ratifies the treaty– Some state and local governments have

Acquisitions of “alarmism”

• The “greatest hoax in history”

• According to one poll about 64% of Americans think that scientists disagree about whether global warming is happening (they don't)

A convenient approach

The environmental consumer

• Save the environment without sacrificing quality of life:– New energy-saving appliances, light bulbs– Carbon offsets– Hybrid cars– Supporting “green” companies

Energy per dollar of GDP/PPP