The World in 2030

182 The World in 2030
the surface of the Earth and its oceans (producing oil, coal
and gas, in the main). The compressed remains of these
energy-rich organisms are called ‘fossil fuels’ and, because
a) they have been relatively easy to mine and, b) we haven’t
realised until recently the effects of releasing the carbon they
contain into the atmosphere as we consume them, we have
burnt them indiscriminately.
Today, fossil fuels provide about 80 per cent of the
world’s energy 345 and most commentators believe that by
the year 2030 the world will still be obtaining the majority
of its energy from such fuels.
In ascending order of ‘dirtyness’ (in carbon terms),
these fossil fuels are, natural gas, oil and coal. Oil and gas
reserves are spread very unevenly in the world which, for the
moment, gives those nations with the largest reserves great
economic and political power. Coal on the other hand is
widely distributed around the planet and is the much-used
and easy antidote to the power wielded by the oil and gas
nations, currently supplying (by one estimate) 24 per cent 346
of the world’s energy needs. For political reasons coal is a
favourite of many governments, even if it is often the most
polluting form of fuel.
The United States is planning to build many more coalfired
power stations in an attempt to reduce its dependence
on energy imports. As The Christian Science Monitor
reported in February 2004:
After 25 years on the blacklist of America’s energy
sources, coal is poised to make a comeback, stoked