Rishi Gurjar, Week 11: The Energy Imbalance
The Energy Imbalance
Imagine waking up in darkness. No phone, computer, heated rooms, warm water showers, etc. No power, no energy. The modern world is highly dependent on energy— our world seems bleak without a United States-level access to energy, but most of human history has had a fraction of the energy we currently consume. The human race’s advent from the cave to an agrarian society took hundreds of thousands of years while the movement from the invention of the lightbulb to globalized megacities powered by electricity took hundreds of years. Our energy use is unprecedented.
The most common type of energy that the world uses is electricity, and its uses go beyond comfort. Without electricity, poverty spikes, economic growth slumps, and living standards drop. Many countries have become increasingly dependent on electricity, but a large portion of the world still has no access to electricity. 13 percent of the world, or a billion people have no access to electricity, and the number is increasing in areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa.
Natural resources, human labor, and other resources mean nothing if a country is swamped with a plethora of problems, and that is the unfortunate reality for many of the least developed countries. Luckily, the total number— including South Asia, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and East Asia— has shown a linear decline since 2000.
While countries are struggling to get access to energy, others, like Sweden, Norway, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Canada, have extremely high energy use per capita, fueling extravagant lifestyles from the perspective of citizens of most other countries. The magnitude of the energy disparity is unknown to most Americans and other people living in first-world countries, but it is a large problem and must be addressed. Energy is power, so do the powerful countries have a duty to bring those hundreds of millions of people into the light?
Inspired by/statistics from OurWorldInData
Image by NASA
Our world is honestly so dependent on energy it's frankly scary. Why do we rely on forms of energy, especially electricity so much? Just because we have access to it doesn't mean we have to heavily depend on it right? Well, we do and frankly its scary to think about moving to an area that struggles to get access to the electricity. Whenever I travel to India for example, I get so easily frustrated that the wifi is slow here because I'm so used to fast wifi in the United States. It's then that I realize that we are lucky to have electricity so easily. Like you said, energy is power. Powerful countries need to realize that everyone needs this type of power, it's not something any country should have any more of than another.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of losing electricity, having no lights, electronic appliances and devices come to mind, but I totally forgot there is no warm water as well. I cannot imagine life without being able to take warm water showers! I would freeze to death. It is interesting that a lot of the Nordic countries are the ones that use so much power. I wonder if this is because it is freezing cold and dark from the shorter days there, and so heaters are used a lot more, or if there is some other reason. Either way, I hope the balance of energy in our world levels out, and maybe uses different renewable sources of energy as well.
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy to think that 13% of the world has no access to electricity as it is so important in the majority of the world. I am currently in San Diego and the water system in our hotel was not working for a couple of hours. It was a struggle without running water because the toilet and sink did not work. Thinking of the people who have to go through this every day has made me more grateful for my living situation and how many luxuries we have. Hopefully my hot water turns on soon, but till then I will enjoy a cold shower as I heard it has many benefits.
ReplyDeleteHi Rishi,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, economics and political tension will always hinder the advancement of third world countries. While we try to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, third world countries are expected to do their part as well and neglected in the distribution of non-renewable resources. Who gets to decide which problem is addressed first? People living in developing countries do deserve all the resources and opportunities as other countries, but simply distributing access to modern energy does not necessarily improve people's standard of living. I fear that larger countries would gain a significant amount of economic power and influence over those they "bring in the light," further complicating their ability to govern independently and potentially become environmentally friendly. For any potential solution to a problem there are always long-term risks involved.
Hey Rishi, I think you bring up a really interesting ethical issue of whether those who have an adept energy network set up have an obligation to help those less developed countries who do not yet have that same level of energy. It's hard to imagine the past world where people lived without energy as nearly all functionality is now somewhat dependent on energy. It would seem that if so many individuals for so long managed to survive without energy, it should not have a significantly adverse effect on those countries without it. However, the predominant issue in society today is that energy is no longer a luxury, it is a precedent. Almost all services and processes in modern society have been designed to capitalize on energy, so while those less developed countries may have been able survive in an another time, it is nearly impossible today. I do think it's crucial then for developed countries to provide other countries aid in regards to increasing access to electricity.
ReplyDeleteHi Rishi! A life without electricity seems pretty unimaginable here in the U.S. Even with our occasional power outages, it isn't uncommon for us to act like there's an apocalypse. The power of electricity brings us much more comfortable lives, and knowing how many countries lack this makes it a great luxury for us.
ReplyDeleteHey Rishi! Literally yesterday, I saw a video looking at the hypothetical 60 minutes after a full internet shutdown. What the video said really mirrors what you talk about in your blog. The world runs on energy, and without it, various aspects of humanity and life come to a halt. But energy inequality is really visible especially in the modern day, and it baffles me how some areas are living that hypothetical situation as a reality. Energy disparity needs to become a front-running issue, because as we have seen in energy-rich countries like the United States, energy equals power and fuels progress. Thus, I agree with you, that countries with huge energy reserves have a duty to spread and equalize this resource around the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Rishi! Electricity is something that I know I have taken for granted. I do not think I would be able to do anything without electricity. Half of my homework is done on my computer and I spend at least three hours on my phone everyday. I find this dependence on electronics especially concerning. I believe the United States should attempt to bring electrical power to other underdeveloped countries. The United States has taken advantage of so many countries I believe it is time to give back to those with less resources.
ReplyDeleteHi Rishi, I definitely agree, there is an energy disparity and it’s unjust. The most powerful nations who use the most energy do have a moral duty to make sure less developed nations gain equal access. Governments have to come to an ethical consensus on the right solutions to solve this gross injustice and that will depend on who gets elected to office and how much of a priority governments make it. Sometimes those in office who have the power to make better laws and decisions don’t prioritize society’s well being.
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