![]() The proven reserves amount to 185 trillion m 3 corresponding to 60 years use. Worldwide, annual natural gas consumption is 3,000 billion m 3, which is expected to grow by 50% up to 2030. Since, of the hydrocarbon fuels, coal is the largest source of CO 2-emissions per unit energy produced, it is essential to implement sequestration schemes and launch massive investments in alternative energy sources as soon as possible. World consumption of coal is more than 4050 Mt annually, and there are almost 1,000 billion tons of proven coal reserves worldwide, which can last for a couple of 100 years. By 2050, the supply of conventional oil will definitely be much less than at present. With the exception of gas, all this unconventional oil is expensive to produce and exploitation involves significant environmental problems. Liquefied gas and coal provide additional reserves and methane hydrates, which exist in vast quantities, may prove to be economically feasible. The global reserves of conventional oil are estimated to be some 1,200 billion barrels whereas the so-called unconventional oil sources predicted for future discovery-oil shale, heavy oil and tar sands-amount to 4,500 billion barrels of oil equivalents. Most major oil fields are well matured, and the remaining conventional oil to be discovered is mainly to be found in places where production costs will increase substantially. The annual rate of oil consumption is 30 billion barrels (1 barrel = 159 l). At present, fossil fuels account for more than 80 % of the energy produced globally. ![]() ![]() Especially the use of fossil fuels is a clearly unsustainable activity with potentially catastrophic consequences. In addition, the symposium provided a special message for the COP15 UN Climate Change Conference, December 2009 in Copenhagen entitled ‘Global climate change is essentially a global energy change’ (see page 10).Īn overview of the main future energy sources and the Energy Committee’s conclusions from the seminal work are given below.Įnergy production and consumption have a major impact on society and nature. The programme (see pages 7–9) comprised six sessions, each reported on in this issue. His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and the EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs attended parts of the symposium. Internationally renowned scientists-among them two Nobel Laureates-assessed the energy theme in a broad perspective, with particular focus on how rapidly a change to “fossil-free” society can be accomplished. The symposium was held in association with the Swedish EU presidency in autumn 2009 and focused on key issues emanating from the Energy Committee’s work during 2005–2009, especially the possibilities to reduce the contribution of fossil fuels to the global energy system. The Energy Committee, consisting of representatives from each of the Academy’s 10 classes/disciplines and other qualified members, was set up in 2005 and has since then carried through some 10 in-depth projects regarding energy sources and energy systems.ĭuring 19–20 October 2009, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, through its Energy Committee, arranged the international symposium Energy 2050. #The current global warming paradigm shift in science is series#Among a series of instruments to fulfil this objective are thematic committees focusing on important social issues treated from a scientific point of view. ![]() ![]() The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ overarching goal is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence on society. ![]()
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