Fertile Space for New Ideas
Each year, Americans use 340 million BTUs of energy (per capita). The first step in resolving the mystery of where this is being spent. The average American heats their home with gas and powers their appliances with electricity. They drive to work in vehicles that burn gasoline or diesel fuel. Alone, this represents only a small fraction of the energy total.
Together, these account for only 1/3 of the energy used in the USA per person each year. Where is the other energy used? Presumably, the average per-person household values will not deviate greatly from these figures. Not many people commute 60 miles each way everyday in their Lambourghini. Not many people triple their energy use by leaving the fridge open all day or take really, really long hot showers. Therefore, the other two-thirds of energy used in the US is industrial or governmental.
The US Energy Information Administration compiles data on US energy use each year, but they are not doing much to enlighten the topic. Residential and Commercial consumption are lumped together in one category (33.64 quads). Two other categories are listed: Industrial and Miscellaneous (35.85 quads), and Transportation (24.82 quads). We will tease out the true values in another article, but at first glance your will think about the energy used to keep your grocery store refreshingly cool in the summertime or keep the lights shining on all night long at the car dealership. Everyone understands that industrial processes require energy--energy to convert iron into steel and energy to make medicines, fertilizers, and chlorine to keep our water safe. What, exactly, is 'miscellaneous' energy use? Why can't transportation be broken down into subcategories? Does military expenditure constitute miscellaneous use, or is an F-15 flying Mach 3 considered a 'transportation use'.
The sad reality is that most Americans are not cognizant of the extent of their use of energy. Foregoing plastic bags each time you go to the grocery store saves an estimated 300 BTU / year. Aesthetic considerations notwithstanding, anyone riding the high horse of plastic bag avoidance is not doing much to reduce their energy consumption. More hot air has been expended regarding hot air dryers versus paper towels, or Styrofoam cups versus ceramic mugs that very little attention is being paid to the real monstrous energy uses in the US. Most consumer energy awareness is directed at personal actions, though. Walk an extra mile. Drive 5 mph below the speed limit. Don't drive an SUV. Turn down the thermostat, wear an extra sweater. If the goals of Kyoto are to be met by individual actions alone, per capita transportation and household consumption must be reduced from 105 million BTU to 59 million BTU -- a reduction of 44 percent. This is in principal doable if everyone turned down the thermostat, carpooled every day, rode a bicycle, or wore that extra sweater.
More realistically, though, checks on industrial and commercial usage should be made in tandem. In every case, though, industries that use energy can make a legitimate claim that their process is necessary (for some application), and eliminating or reducing consumption will be a drain on the economy, primarily to the well-being of employees that would be fired, secondarily to the businesses that might go under, and finally, to the overall economic well being of communities, states, and ultimately, the nation. As well, because industrial production is sensitive to competition, efficiency investments have already been made and there is naught much savings to be had from across-the-board cuts. The problem will be more difficult, requiring investigation of the energy use of wholesale industries, asking difficult questions about what is a justifiable use of energy.
Compounding the intellectual difficulty of the problem, political considerations make change difficult. In addition to the economic implications of energy reduction described above, any attempt to rank behavior as good or bad leaves a sour taste in the mouth--sour enough that people avoiding the taste spit vociferously with sounds of "socialism" or "communism". The market is the ultimate arbiter of the utility of a product--if the market were not willing to buy something, then the offending industry would soon get out of the business.
Unfortunately, the difficult questions cannot be answered without looking in a few dark corners. If the US is to see itself with respect to the entire human race, we must account for our profligate energy usage. Education is not concession. Knowledge does not admit guilt. If, in performing a solid accounting of our appetites for energy, we may be able to address the energy needs of those around the world that need clean water, safe housing, and effective health care. Perhaps we might learn more about ourselves and spend more time with our families, enjoying more sunsets, and reading more books.
The next chapters in this series will examine in more detail the energy content of major material feedstocks such as steel, rubber, glass, industrial chemicals, and food. These raw materials make up the products that we purchase and use every year. Proper accounting for the energy needed to produce an automobile, a computer, or a cellular phone can help find answers to the problems of Kyoto. If industrial output (125 million BTU/person/year) were the only segment of our economy to be reduced (by 46 million BTU to 79 million BTU), many, many, processes would need to come under the hatchet, not a happy thought for anyone, employee or owner alike.
Just because a problem is difficult is no reason to shrink away from it. Traditionally, Americans have not shied away from difficult problems--our national lore almost demands that we choose the harder of two problems to solve.
I would like to ask anyone reading this that cares about the problem to assist in finding answers. There are many, many places where action can be done. Understanding of the problem will make it easier to communicate. With good communication, all parties can sit down to the table and begin negotiating difficult choices to make. When these questions start being asked, naturally, answers will be forthcoming. It will be pretty difficult to find answers before then.
"The most important book to read today. The needed work for the future cannot be begun until we understand how we got where we are today." - Richard Smalley, 1996 Nobel Laureate (Chemistry)