Education for the global energy challenge

Energy is the lifeblood of the modern world. According to the Energy Information Administration, global energy consumption is expected to grow by about 70% in the coming 25 years. Much of that growth is driven by developing countries, whose inhabitants seek a standard of living that more closely resembles that of the developed world. Petroleum provides about 40% of the worldwide energy, and although estimates vary, oil production is expected to peak in the relatively near future. The combination of increased energy demand and declining petroleum supply can be a threat to political stability and is likely to lead to a shift toward coal and nonconventional oil, such as tar sands and oil shale. That shift will further increase carbon dioxide emissions and thus accelerate global warming and life-altering regional climate changes. The challenges posed by the growth in demand were described in the April 2002 special issue of PHYSICS TODAY in the articles by Stephen Benka (page 38) and by Ernest Moniz and Melanie Kenderdine (page 40). © 2008 American Institute of Physics.