TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 Hydrogen: many potential transportation applications. Efforts in Europe to preparemarket for hydrogen as a viable, clean energy carrier and reduce Europe’s dependenceon oil. 12 Biofuels: available in small quantity, and increasing slowly, 1 billion gallons ofbiodiesel in U.S. by 2010, 7.5 billion gallons of bioethanol in U.S. by 2012. 13 Solar: many applications in use; solar power can be price competitive by 2015. 14 Wind: many applications in use; five percent of available wind energy would meetglobal energy needs. 15 Other options for alternate energy sources include photovoltaics, a form of solarenergy using semiconductor material to produce energy, and geothermal. 16Though research and development in these alternative energy sources is increasing, economicpayoff and environmental impact are still considerations that limit these efforts. While it isdifficult to predict beyond the 2020 timeframe, research indicates that alternative energy sourceswill provide only 8 percent of the total energy requirement in 2020. 17 Current investment inprograms to reduce demand and/or increase supply of total energy requirements is inadequate tohave a significant impact. In a worst-case scenario, future competition for oil among first worldnations may lead to direct military confrontation.Demographic TrendsIn common with other trends, interaction with each otherand with the external environment influence demographictrends. An inescapable fact of the shifting nature ofdemographics is a constant and ever increasing rate ofpopulation growth. A growing population exacerbates thenegative aspects of globalization, intensifies the competition forscarce resources, and increases the pressure on governingentities to provide adequate governance. Current projectionsplace the global population in 2035—currently 6.5 billion—at8.5 billion. 18 That figure in itself challenges the world’s abilityto achieve and maintain an equitable and satisfactory standard ofliving for everyone. A closer look at the nature of this population growth and the additionaltrends such growth drives reveals additional challenges to stability in the world.The character of the world’s developed nations is changing. Declining birth rates andincreasing longevity contribute to an aging population in Europe, Japan, Russia, and elsewhere.In Europe, immigration swells the ranks of minorities, whose greater birth rate threatens nativemajorities in several European Union nations. Japan and Russia have no significant immigrationand their populations are actually declining. Demographic patterns in developed nationschallenge their continued stability and economic success. Much of the immigration in these areasis illegal. Illegal immigration exceeds 2.5 million persons per year in the developed world. Thiscan affect how America defines its interests and values in dealing with other nations.It is an unfortunate fact that 98 percent of the world’s population growth is in the lessdeveloped regions of the world—those same areas left behind as globalization drives a booming33