Energy Resources and Sustainable Energy Use

Energy resources

Natural resources utilized by humans for generating power.

Fuelwood

Wood gathered from trees that serves as a cheap, convenient, and fast-acting source of energy.

Fossil fuels

Non-renewable energy resources formed underground from the decomposed remains of plants and animals from millions of years ago, comprising coal, oil, and natural gas.

Global energy consumption mix (2019)

Global consumption dominated by fossil fuels at $84\%$ (oil at $33\%$, coal at $27\%$, and natural gas at $24\%$), followed by hydroelectric power at $7\%$, nuclear power at $4\%$, and other sources at $5\%$.

Global coal reserves distribution (2019)

Unevenly distributed fossil fuel reserves primarily situated in the Asia Pacific region ($42.6\%$), Europe and Eurasia ($30.5\%$), and North America ($24.1\%$), with significant reserves in Russia, China, India, Australia, and the USA.

Global oil reserves distribution (2019)

Petroleum deposits concentrated mainly in the Middle East ($46.2\%$), followed by South and Central America, North America ($14.8\%$), and Europe and Eurasia ($8.9\%$).

Global natural gas reserves distribution (2019)

Unevenly distributed natural gas supplies held principally by the Middle East ($38\%$) and Europe and Eurasia ($34\%$).

Nuclear fission

The reaction involving the splitting of uranium atoms in a nuclear reactor to release large quantities of heat energy, which boils water into steam to drive an electricity generator.

Thermal pollution

The environmental hazard caused by releasing high-temperature wastewater from nuclear power plants into water bodies, resulting in phenomena such as coral bleaching.

Nuclear fusion

An experimental power technology that collides and combines atoms under extremely high temperatures, producing more energy and less radioactive waste than fission from fuels widely available in water.

Renewable energy resources