ENERGY PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION IN THE US | AN OVERALL PICTURE
- In 2012, the US produced energy that met approximately 83% of the total domestic energy needs. A vast majority of the energy production comes from 3 main fossil fuels--oil, coal, and natural gas, which have dominated the U.S. energy scene for over a century. Oil is the largest primary energy source for consumption in the country. (Electricity is considered secondary energy that is produced from the primary sources.)
- The major users include: households (residential), commercial buildings, industry, transportation, and power generators.
- Economic, social, and political factors such as natural disasters, fuel prices, and political unrest, in the US as well as overseas, can affect consumption.
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CONVENTIONAL ENERGY | FOSSIL FUELS
ENVIRONMENTAL | SOCIAL | POLITICAL IMPACTS
Greenhouse gas emissions & Global warming
Health impacts
Political risks
These fossil fuels create high dependency of energy. Moreover, they have inherent high risks because the few countries that produce the majority of world's oil are located in politically unstable regions.
Others
- Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and the largest source of CO2 emissions--about one-third of all the CO2 emissions comes from burning coal. That's why coal is dubbed "dirty energy."
- Oil is cleaner than coal. However, petroleum also contains a large amount of carbon. The combustion of gasoline and diesel from transportation is the second largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for 32% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 27% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2012.
- Potential natural gas leakages can release methane. The "global warming potential" of methane is 25 times higher than CO2 .
Health impacts
- People living in or near coal mines are more likely to suffer lung diseases and others due to inhalation of coal ash and airborne toxins from mining activities.
- Transforming crude oil into petrochemicals releases toxins into atmosphere that are dangerous for human and ecosystem health.
- Hydraulic fracturing companies inject into the ground solutions containing dozens of chemical components, endangering drinking supplies.
Political risks
These fossil fuels create high dependency of energy. Moreover, they have inherent high risks because the few countries that produce the majority of world's oil are located in politically unstable regions.
Others
- The mountaintop removal method (a form of coal surface mining), which uses explosives to remove large chunks of mountaintop to reveal underlying coal, destroys physical landscapes and contributes to loss of biodiversity and pollution of watersheds.
- Oil spills that occur during drilling, transport ,and use that significantly damage the surrounding environment, especially beaches, marshlands and fragile marine ecosystems.