Government Responses to the Energy-Climate Crisis

• To learn how a number of developed nations have continued to advance after the Oil Shock events

• To understand the view points that led to the actions of major governments.

• To learn about major projects that governments are currently involved in today in order to limit their need for oil from OPEC.

The complicated relationship between the US and OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

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• That started to change as natural gas and renewable energy are starting to increase in the market thanks to efforts that limit carbon dioxide emissions associated with climate change.

• 27 percent from natural gas

• 19 percent from coal

• 10 percent from renewable sources

• 8 percent from nuclear power

• In 2010, the United States imported most of its oil from Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria – in that order. 

• By 2013, the United States, was the world's biggest producer of oil, although about 40 percent of the oil consumed in the United States was still imported.

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• The country is used to having energy in abundance.

• The cost of oil in the United States remains very low. Gasoline, for example, is about half the price in the United States as it is in Europe.

A very different view on how oil is managed.

• France has used nuclear power as its response to the energy crisis, and by 2012 it was producing about 83 percent of its electricity from that source. That's one of the highest rates in the world!

• The discovery of oil and natural gas under the North Sea helped Norway and Britain to stop depending on OPEC imported oil.

• In 2005 Finland began constructing one of the world's largest nuclear reactors, but that project has been delayed.

"It was a great idea... until it wasn't"

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That means Japan imported all of its oil!

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In the mid-1970s, out of all industrialized countries, Japan was the most vulnerable to OPEC's actions.

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_{*Remember: OPEC = Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries}

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• After the first oil shock in 1973, it was obvious their dependency had to be reduced.

• By 2010 Japan had reduced its dependency on oil from 75% (consumed in the mid 1970s) less than 50%.

​Japanese industries have been traditionally more open to reducing consumption than the industries in the US.

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• The government built large oil storage facilities. By the 2000s, Japan had nearly 6 months' supply of oil in storage tanks.

• The Japanese government made nuclear power one of the key parts of its plans to reduce its dependency on imported oil.

• In 2007 Japan had 55 operating nuclear power plants!

• In 1999, because of human error, an uncontrolled chain reaction occurred in a Japanese nuclear fuel plant. Two people were killed and thousands were exposed to moderate levels of radiation.

• In 2002, some plants were exposed to not following correct safety guidelines.

• By 2010 Japan's 55 nuclear power plants were outdated and considered to be dangerous.

In 2011 a tsunami (tidal wave) caused the cooling systems of a group of nuclear reactors in northeast Japan to fail. This led to the release of large amounts of radiation into the air and sea.

• By 2013, nuclear power in Japan had declined to only 1% of Japan's total energy supply. 

• Japan is now -again- dependent on oil being Imported from OPEC members...

The New Oil Player in the Game

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China's population is so large, and its economy is growing at such a fast rate, that its demand for energy is huge!

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China is also already the world's biggest importer of coal.

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Here are some steps China's taking to meet their energy demand.

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​The gas is produced by fermenting animal and human wastes in simple generators.

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The gas is produced by fermenting animal and human wastes in simple generators.

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This is so each car needs less fuel, and as the number of cars grows, they won't need as much fuel.

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China is starting construction on 10 new plants each year.

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China's Twelfth Five-Year Plan set a plan for the country to generate 15 percent of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2020.

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Great job class⭐️