Energy Consumption

Based on the data in the first graph, energy consumption has increased significantly and in an exponential rate from 1971 to 2013. For example, in 1971 the oil consumption was 4000 Mtoe, while in 2013 it is 6000 Mtoe.

The fast increase can be explained by different factors. For example, as seen in the “WorldPopulation Growth” graph from Our World In Data, up to 2050, the population is growing very quick and at an exponential rate. This means that each year there are more people born in the planet that will soon be consuming energy. Technology development has also played a role since each person has starting using more technological devices.

In the same way, as many countries continue developing, they will continue to use more energy. According to the World Bank, in 2010 the percentage of the population with access to electricity was 75.6, whereas in 2012 it is 84.6. Each day, there are more people getting access to electricity and services, which increases the world consumption of energy. This relates to the following graph, which shows that more developed countries like the US, Japan and France consume a higher percentage of energy compared to sub-developed countries like China and India. Even though China and India have larger populations, many of their citizens don’t have access to electricity and other different services.

All the graphs are positively correlated, meaning that the energy consumption can be expected to keep growing in the future. However, some positive conclusions can be derived from the first graph as well. For example, there has been a higher increase in renewable energy such as hydro and biofuels and waste in the past few years. This could be due to the growing concern for the environment.

Awareness of energy consumption is very important since each day we will be consuming more and more energy. In my personal case, most of the energy that I spend is in house energy and driving and flying since I use many technological devices and travel a lot. I also don’t recycle as much as I should, which is probably because recycling is not a huge part of the culture in my country as it is in the US. In the future I will be consuming more energy because I will own a car, travel more, own a house or a bigger apartment, and have a family, and should therefore invest more in renewable energy.