TOPIC GUIDE: Energy
"It would be better for new fossil fuel reserves to remain in the ground"
PUBLISHED: 31 Jan 2011
AUTHOR: David Bowden
Share this Topic Guide:
INTRODUCTION
Providing easy and plentiful sources of energy is a key challenge confronting any society and is today one of the most fiercely contested areas of policy. Since the Industrial Revolution, global demand for energy has soared, which has been sustained by learning how to exploit fossil fuel resources. A total of 95% of the world’s energy currently comes from fossil fuels and the modern world would be unrecognisable without their use. However energy experts, such as the International Energy Agency, warn the world is facing an ‘energy crunch’, caused in part by the difficulties posed by increasing energy demand as the developing world industrialises, and uncertain supply over fossil fuels, allied with increasing concerns over the environmental impact of carbon emissions [Ref: Financial Times]. European Union countries, including the UK, have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions by 20% by 2020, placing even greater demands on the quest for alternative sources of energy. Some commentators suggest that future energy policy should be predicated on the assumption that the world has a limited amount of fossil fuel left, pointing to the strides countries such as Denmark have made in cutting carbon by investing heavily in alternative energy and imposing heavy restrictions on carbon-intensive sources. Others maintain that fossil fuels must continue to play a vital role in the foreseeable future: not just in rapidly industrialising countries such as China and India, but also in meeting the difficult challenge of keeping the lights on in the developed world [Ref: Economist]. This debate hinges on three questions: how much energy does the world need; how can we best produce it; and what price is society willing to pay for it?
DEBATE IN CONTEXT
This section provides a summary of the key issues in the debate, set in the context of recent discussions and the competing positions that have been adopted.
The end of fossil fuel?
The Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill in April 2010 offered a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in extracting fossil fuels [Ref: BBC News]. Some warn that oil production has reached a ‘peak’ and that extracting fossil fuels will become increasingly costly and dangerous as supplies become more unstable. Furthermore accessing resources from the developing world has become a core challenge of foreign policy and some argue that it usually comes at an unacceptable cost for poor nations suffering from the ‘resource curse’. While these arguments are disputed [Ref: New York Times], and the long term impacts of the BP oil spill may be less than the catastrophic levels some had feared [Ref: Guardian], for many the wider environmental and social costs caused by society’s ‘addiction’ to oil should be motivation enough for developed nations to force themselves off finite resources and to develop cleaner, sustainable energy supplies [Ref: Independent]. It is argued that the end of government subsidies, alongside controversial moves to set a floor price for carbon that takes into account its environmental impact, is not enough to move into a post-carbon world, and that tougher regulations and sanctions are needed [Ref: Guardian].
What forms of alternative energy are there?
Whilst there are alternative sources of energy, they are not yet in a position to take up the role of fossil fuels: academic Bjorn Lomborg makes the point that to cut carbon emissions by 50% in 2050, every year until then the world would need to build 30 nuclear reactors, 17,000 windmills, 400 biomass power plants, and two versions of China’s Three Gorges Dam [Ref: Project Syndicate]. Nuclear power offers a carbon-free, and comparatively efficient, source of energy but safety concerns, symbolised by the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986, and a reluctance to invest in nuclear infrastructure, which is costly and time-consuming in the short term, means that countries such as the UK struggle to maintain even their existing levels of nuclear supply [Ref: Telegraph]. In late 2010, the UK’s Energy and Climate Change Secretary approved the building of new nuclear reactors, but critics are divided over whether this will solve the problem, or create new risks [Ref: Telegraph]. The potential of renewable technologies such as wind and solar are fiercely debated [Ref: Economist]. They currently make up only 5% of total UK supply [Ref: ESRC], and there are enormous logistical problems concerning storage and reliability [Ref: Wall Street Journal]. Some argue that governments should follow the example of Denmark and Iceland, working harder to price out fossil fuels and invest in alternative renewable energy sources [Ref: Scientific American].
Why not use less energy?
Some argue that the shortfall in supply could be met by focusing on reducing energy consumption [Ref: Battle in Print]. There have been considerable investments and developments made in energy efficiency technologies, ranging from energy-saving light-bulbs (now legally required across the EU) and smart-meters to monitor home usage; to schemes that allow home users to generate electricity using solar panels or wind turbines and plans for low-carbon ‘transition towns’ [Ref: Local Government]. High-profile campaigns such as 10:10 [Ref: 10:10] and the Energy Saving Trust [Ref: Energy Saving Trust] claim that individuals could easily cut out 10% of their carbon emissions by making adjustments to their lifestyles [Ref: Guardian]. However others question whether constraining individuals’ consumption is a desirable goal at all, pointing out that using less energy generally necessitates reductions in freedoms in everyday life such as mobility, leisure time and personal consumption, which we currently take for granted [Ref: spiked].
Shale gas: a future for fossil fuels?
A ‘natural’ resource only becomes an energy source when society develops the technology and knowledge to exploit it: therefore, the definition of what acts as a finite or limited resource depends on context. A significant recent breakthrough for the fossil fuel industry has been seen in the development of ‘fracking’ – a drilling technique which enables energy companies to exploit previously untapped resources of unconventional gases such as shale gas [Ref: Prospect]. Such technologies arguably have the potential to give an abundant supply of low-carbon fossil fuels that can be exploited all around the world [Ref: Washington Post]. As a relatively new method, however, shale gas extraction carries certain risks; and allegations (as yet unproven) regarding the toxicity of the chemicals involved and the impact on water supplies have already led to vociferous opposition [Ref: BBC News]. Furthermore, some argue discoveries like shale gas will only encourage the thirst for fossil fuels and that the long-term solution to resource shortages is not finding another finite energy supply [Ref: Guardian].
ESSENTIAL READING
It is crucial for debaters to have read the articles in this section, which provide essential information and arguments for and against the debate motion. Students will be expected to have additional evidence and examples derived from independent research, but they can expect to be criticised if they lack a basic familiarity with the issues raised in the essential reading.
Sharing the benefits of Asia’s solar boom
Jeff Spross Business Spectator 12 August 2013
US Shale Revolution, Staggering Global Potential
EconoMonitor 20 June 2013
Economist 4 May 2013
Ed Davey moves to shield renewables amid reshuffle
Roger Harrabin BBC News 5 September 2012
Nick Butler Financial Times 23 July 2012
Simon Wright Economist 14 July 2012
Roger Harrabin BBC News 21 December 2010
The biggest energy shake-up for 25 years
Chris Huhne MP Telegraph 16 December 2010
A system under increasing pressure
Ed Crooks Financial Times 12 September 2010
The looming electricity crunch: dark days ahead
Economist 6 August 2009
FOR
This gamble on carbon and the climate could trigger a new financial crisis
Kevin Watkins Guardian 2 August 2013
Humanity is on a crash course with carbon
Mark Lynas Independent 22 July 2013
Energy companies are paying a heavy price for shunning renewables
Phillip Inman Guardian 21 July 2013
The case for a European low-carbon economy
Lord Nicholas Stern Grantham Research Institute 12 July 2013
Burn our planet or face financial meltdown. Not much of a choice
Will Hutton Observer 21 April 2013
Britain’s climate change policy is going up in smoke
George Monbiot Guardian 28 May 2012
Chris Huhne Guardian 3 May 2012
Shale gas is no game-changer in the UK
Damian Carrington Guardian 3 November 2011
Nick Molho New Statesman 26 October 2011
Avoiding gas lock-in - why a second dash for gas is not in the UK’s interest
Green Alliance June 2011
Obama could kill fossil fuels overnight with a nuclear dash for thorium
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Telegraph 29 August 2010
Americans should be thanking BP
David Strahan Independent 1 June 2010
Oil, risk and technology: choices we need to make
William Jackson BBC News 18 May 2010
If fossil fuel reserves rise carbon should be left where it belongs: in the ground
George Monbiot Guardian 25 February 2010
Why is energy a battlefield today?
Duncan McLaren Battles in Print 21 October 2009
AGAINST
German Green Energy Bluster Running Out Of Wind
Larry Bell Forbes 13 August 2013
We cannot afford to miss out on shale gas
David Cameron Telegraph 12 August 2013
Only cheaper ‘green’ fuels will force changes in energy use
Bjorn Lomborg Financial Times 29 July 2013
The Greens Can’t Defy Gravity. They Are Finished
Tim Montgomerie The Times 22 July 2013
Why Nobody Ever Calls The Weather Normal
Matt Ridley Australian 10 July 2013
Shale Gas to the Climate Rescue
Alan Riley New York Times 13 August 2012
This shale rage is threatening to put out the lights
Charles Clover The Sunday Times 22 April 2012
Matt Ridley Spectator 3 March 2012
Forget the Huhne hype about wind power
Dieter Helm The Times 6 February 2012
Shale gas: a welcome energy shock
Rob Lyons spiked 5 May 2011
Let’s put the Gulf-spill crisis into perspective
Rob Lyons spiked 1 June 2010
Robert Bryce Wall Street Journal 23 April 2010
Energy independence for Europe
Derek Brower Prospect 22 March 2010
An energy policy re-think is required
Dan Lewis Wall Street Journal 28 December 2009
Low carbon future? Try natural gas
Tony Hayward Washington Post 6 November 2009
IN DEPTH
Obsolete Before It’s Even Law, The Energy Bill Has Proved A Dismal Failure
Jeremy Warner Telegraph 1 July 2013
What to Make of a Warming Plateau
Justin Gillis New York Times 10 June 2013
Economist 16 March 2013
New Report Examines Risks of 4 Degree Hotter World by End of Century
World Bank 18 November 2012
Beyond the bluster: Why wind power is an effective technology
IPPR 30 August 2012
Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing
Royal Academy of Engineering June 2012
Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas
International Energy Agency 29 May 2012
Gas prices: is the only way up?
Friends of the Earth March 2012
The Full Cost to Households of Renewable Energy Policies
Policy Exchange 18 January 2012
How humankind was liberated from localism
Colin McInnes spiked 6 January 2011
Clifford Krauss New York Times 16 November 2010
Could Denmark be fossil fuel free by 2050?
Scientific American 1 October 2010
Bjorn Lomborg Project Syndicate 14 July 2010
How to reduce your carbon emissions by 10%
Chris Goodall Guardian 1 September 2009
We have the climate predictions but do we have the political will to adapt?
David King Guardian 18 June 2009
Economist 19 June 2008
KEY TERMS
Definitions of key concepts that are crucial for understanding the topic. Students should be familiar with these terms and the different ways in which they are used and interpreted and should be prepared to explain their significance.
BACKGROUNDERS
Useful websites and materials that provide a good starting point for research.
Greenpeace 2013
New shale gas resource figure for central Britain
British Geological Survey 2013
Re-drawing the Energy Climate Map
IEA 10 June 2013
Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources
US Energy Information Administration 10 June 2013
Bridging the Gap? Natural Gas and Long-Term Climate Change Goals
Grant McDermott The Energy Collective 4 April 2013
World Energy Outlook, Presentation to the Press
IEA 12 November 2012
IEA 2012
Guardian 17 April 2012
National Statistics 28 July 2011
Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology April 2011
BP oil spill report: what the analysts, politicians and industry leaders are saying
Telegraph 12 January 2011
This house believes that natural gas will do more than renewables to limit the world’s…
Economist January 2011
World Energy Outlook 2010 fact-sheet
International Energy Agency November 2010
BBC News 24 September 2010
New York Times 1 July 2010
Energy and the environment explained
US Energy Information Administration 7 January 2010
Can countries cut carbon emissions without hurting economic growth?
Wall Street Journal 21 September 2009
Will Canada’s tar sands destroy the global climate?
Nathanial Gronewold Scientific American 22 May 2009
Carbon Capture Storage: Trouble in store
Economist 5 March 2009
Special report: Energy in the UK
BBC News 2 April 2008
New Statesman 2 July 2007
Introduction: energy and fuels
New Scientist 4 September 2006
Guardian
Statoil
Statoil
UK Trade & Investment
British Geological Survey
Department of Energy and Climate Change
Guardian
Department of Energy and Climate Change
ESRC Society Today
ORGANISATIONS
Links to organisations, campaign groups and official bodies who are referenced within the Topic Guide or which will be of use in providing additional research information.
IN THE NEWS
Relevant recent news stories from a variety of sources, which ensure students have an up to date awareness of the state of the debate.
Major changes for government renewable energy subsidies
James Landale BBC News 4 December 2013
Fracking protesters in court over disruption
Guardian 14 August 2013
Fracking ‘threatens God’s glorious creation’
Telegraph 13 August 2013
Financial Times 8 August 2013
Britain opens world’s second-largest offshore wind farm
Reuters 7 August 2013
Giant gas platform sinks below waves
BBC News 5 August 2013
Saudi Prince: Fracking Is Threat To Kingdom
Sky News 29 July 2013
World Bank to limit financing of coal-fired plants
Reuters 16 July 2013
Tax break boost for shale gas explorers
Telegraph 13 July 2013
Obama: ‘We Don’t Have Time for a Meeting of the Flat Earth Society’
Atlantic 25 June 2013
Carbon dioxide passes symbolic mark
BBC News 10 May 2013
Rise in U.S. Gas Production Fuels Unexpected Plunge in Emissions
Wall Street Journal 18 April 2013
Shale gas benefits called into question
Financial Times 29 October 2012
Shale gas will not cut EU import dependence: study
Reuters 7 September 2012
EU study sparks regulation debate over ‘high-risk’ shale gas
EurActiv 7 September 2012
South Africa ends fracking freeze
BBC News 7 September 2012
John Hayes replaces Charles Hendry as energy minister
Guardian 5 September 2012
Shale gas will not cut EU import dependence: study
Reuters September 2012
UK wind power predictable enough to keep lights on, says think tank IPPR
Telegraph 30 August 2012
UK wind power predictable enough to keep lights on, says think tank IPPR
Telegraph 30 August 2012
Upbeat Statkraft hails its offshore wind era at Sheringham Shoal
Recharge 22 August 2012
100% renewable energy ‘attainable’
Scotsman 11 August 2012
Subsea gas compression to boost recovery rates
E&P 3 August 2012
Coalition spat on energy set to resume
Financial Times 25 July 2012
Osborne offers deal on wind power
Financial Times 23 July 2012
Treasury messing with UK clean energy policy, say MPs
BBC News 23 July 2012
MPs send draft Energy Bill back to the drawing board
EAEM 23 July 2012
Treasury messing with UK clean energy policy, say MPs
BBC News 23 July 2012
Energy Realism Returning To Brussels?
EurActiv 18 July 2012
Rio+20: Nick Clegg blames China for ‘disappointing text’
Telegraph 21 June 2012
Deal with Norway guarantees future UK gas and oil dependency
EAEM 8 June 2012
Gas rebranded as green energy by EU
Guardian 29 May 2012
Shale Gas Could Fracture Energy Market
Wall Street Journal 29 May 2012
Are the lights about to go out all over Britain?
Telegraph 31 March 2012
Budget 2012: chancellor fires starting gun on dash for gas
Guardian 21 March 2012
US on path to energy self-sufficiency
Financial Times 18 January 2012
Statoil seeks to prolong oil bounty from NCS
Oil & Gas Journal 5 January 2012
Dangers of fracking still becoming clear
Statesman 28 December 2011
BP to cut production amid impact of Deepwater Horizon spill
Guardian 30 January 2011
Miliband calls BP’s Russian tie-up ‘worrying’
Guardian 17 January 2011
Shale gas moratorium in UK urged by Tyndall Centre
BBC News 17 January 2011
Chris Huhne promises Britain will speed up switch to green energy
Guardian 3 January 2011
MPs rule out deep-water drilling ban
Telegraph 2 January 2011
Chris Huhne unveils plans for reform of electricity market
Guardian 16 December 2010
How BP’s oil spill costs could double
Reuters 1 December 2010
New energy sources vital to tackle climate change
BBC News 30 November 2010
US drops oil-drilling moratorium
Guardian 13 October 2010
Largest offshore wind farm opens off Thanet in Kent
BBC News 23 September 2010
Thousands surround Merkel office in nuclear protest
Reuters 18 September 2010
Ecuador signs $3.6bn deal not to exploit oil-rich Amazon reserve
Guardian 4 August 2010
Natural Gas Could Serve as ‘Bridge’ Fuel to Low-Carbon Future
Scientific American 25 June 2010
Obama: end dependence on fossil fuels
MSNBC 2 June 2010
BP fights to limit controls on shale gas drilling
Guardian 4 May 2010
Oil firms attacked for tar sands pollution
Telegraph 15 December 2009
10 new nuclear power stations named
Independent 9 November 2009
Downturn is ‘climate opportunity’
BBC News 6 October 2009
Warning: oil supplies are running out fast
Independent 3 August 2009
Barack Obama announces plans to ‘end America’s dependence on foreign oil’
Telegraph 26 January 2009
AUDIO/VISUAL
Statoil
UK Trade & Investment
British Geological Survey
This site contains links to websites operated by parties other than Debating Matters. Although we make every effort to ensure links are current, they will sometimes break after Topic Guide publication. If a link does not work, then the publication reference and date should enable you to find an alternate link. If you find a broken link do please send it to the webmaster for review.
TOPIC GUIDE MENU
Select the relevant option
Related topic guides
