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This nation's independence on fossil fuel is a
problem just about any way you look at it. Fossils fuels
are a finite and diminishing resource when viewed in any
timeframe relevant to human life. Many renewable fuels,
though they are a small part of the energy equation
currently, are relatively unlimited when measured by
timeframes that are immediately relevant to human life,
such as years and generations.
In 2007 the global economy consumed, on average, over
85 million barrels of oil per day. Forecasts for 2008
are pointing upwards of 87 million barrels per
day. That's 3.6 million barrels per hour, 60,417
barrels per minute, 1,007 barrels per second. The US
alone accounts for roughly one quarter of this
consumption (20.7 million barrels per day in
2007). |
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Top World Oil Producers,
2006
(thousand barrels per
day)
| Rank |
Country |
Production |
| 1 |
Saudi Arabia |
10,665 |
| 2 |
Russia |
9,677 |
| 3 |
United States |
8,331 |
| 4 |
Iran |
4,148 |
| 5 |
China |
3,845 |
| 6 |
Mexico |
3,707 |
| 7 |
Canada |
3,288 |
| 8 |
United Arab Emirates |
2,945 |
| 9 |
Venezuela |
2,803 |
| 10 |
Norway |
2,786 |
| 11 |
Kuwait |
2,675 |
| 12 |
Nigeria |
2,443 |
| 13 |
Brazil |
2,166 |
| 14 |
Algeria |
2,122 |
| 15 |
Iraq |
2,008 | |
Top World Oil Consumers,
2006
(thousand barrels per
day)
| Rank |
Country |
Consumption |
| 1 |
United States |
20,687 |
| 2 |
China |
7,273 |
| 3 |
Japan |
5,159 |
| 4 |
Russia |
2,920 |
| 5 |
Germany |
2,665 |
| 6 |
India |
2,587 |
| 7 |
Canada |
2,252 |
| 8 |
Brazil |
2,231 |
| 9 |
Korea, South |
2,174 |
| 10 |
Saudi Arabia |
2,139 |
| 11 |
Mexico |
1,997 |
| 12 |
France |
1,961 |
| 13 |
United Kingdom |
1,830 |
| 14 |
Italy |
1,732 |
| 15 |
Iran |
1,662 | | |
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| This data paints a particularly disturbing picture
for anyone concerned about our reliance on imported
energy. |
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| Confluence Energy is committed to being a positive
part of the inevitable change that must occur to free us
of reliance on imports from volatile regions of the
world. We are also committed to changing the carbon
footprint of fuel usage. As everyone at this point
already knows, when fossil fuels are burned, carbon
dioxide that had been near-permanently sequestered by
ancient life forms is release into the atmosphere,
contributing to a greenhouse effect. When wood pellets
are burned, carbon dioxide is emitted, but this is the
same carbon dioxide that would be emitted had the
biomass been left on the forest floor to rot or burn.
Additionally, new tree growth re-sequesters this carbon
dioxide in a continuous cycle. |
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