Overview of National Geographic Aritcle

Iran, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria have all sturggled with nationalizing their oil industries. Nigeria, specifically, has become a prime example. From reading the atricle in the Febuary 2007 National Geographic issue, a realistic picture of the probelms in Nigeria aer painted plain and clear. Titled, "Curse of the BLack Gold Hope and Betrayal in the Niger Delta," the article discusses how oil has essentially seeped into every aspect of life for the people of Nigeria. Making up 95% of Nigeria's export eranings, as well as polluting rivers and towns, it is hard not to see how oil affects everyday life.
So, although "Nigeria had all the makings of an uplifting tale: poor African nation blessed with enormous sudden wealth...everything went wrong." Things went wrong when the oil wealth became concentrated in the hands of the very few, mainly those who had ties to the government. "With all the oil money coming in, the state doesn't need taxes from the people. Rather being a resource for the state, teh people are impediments. There is no incentive anymore for the government to build schools or hospitals," said Isaac Asume Osouoka, director of Social Action. Last year a rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) began attacking many oil pump stations. The government does not intervene; however, the private cmopanies get angry and intensify security as well as job availability.
Amid teh corruption, pollution and warfare are normal people trying to get by. Many moved from villages farther in-land because the government was putting in a liquefied natural gas plant. Some came looking for jobs. Now, these people are stuck in-between life and death, licing in small tarp tent villages. Due to pollution, the fishing grounds have also been affected, making it nearly impossible to get jobs.
With nowhere to live, no hospitals, no schools, and no jobs, one can't blame these people for turning to rebellion. In fact, many hope the United States or Europe (the two largest importers of Nigerian oil) will intervene and save those from extreme poverty.

The Chernobyl Disaster

Nuclear energy, a major and trusted energy source worldwide, was the source of one of the largest disasters in the history of energy development: The Chernobyl Disaster. In Ukraine during the year 1986, a reactor exploded and radioactive waste spread around Ukraine and into other parts of the Soviet Union, infecting the air and the water. The exact cause of the incident is unknown, but, because of a theory that it was a defect in the design of the reactor, new designs and types of reactors were made. Chernobyl Reactor is still enclosed inside a sarcophagus to insure that more nuclear waste will not spread.

Geothermal Energy

Discovered in Larderello, Italy in 1902, this form of energy is produced by the heat of the earth. This heat is gathered primarily in the form of geysers and used to turn turbines, creating energy and electricity. Finding such geysers is simple: by using the same drills the oil industry uses, usable pockets of heat can easily be unearthed. The number one user of geothermal energy is the United States. Geothermal energy does not produce pollution, but this form of energy does have a downside, such as the chance that, during a dig, there is a chance hazardous gases could be released into the atmosphere.

Additional Resources

Hello. Something to help you guys out: There was a special edition of Scientific American (Spetember 2006 Vol.295 #3) that was all about Energy/global warming/coal etc. It has excellent articles. We have the print copy in the library and you can also access all of the articles through the Ebsco host database. Once on the green library page click Ebsco/select Mas Full Text Ultra/ limit your search to Scientific American on that date.

Coal has been around for centuries. Coal is a nonrenewable energy source because it takes millions of years to form. It is formed by the pressurization and decaying of rocks, dirt and plants. It was first used by the Chinese to aid in the process of smelting and creating metal tools. The Chinese’s methods eventually spread to Europe where they were modernized further and heavily used during the industrialization of the 1800s. Coal slowly replaced wood and became one of the leading energy resources in the world.
During both World Wars, coal was in constant demand. It was a necessity for creating metal and transportation. Although coal was heavily used in both world wars, the need for petroleum was rising due to the invention of the automobile in the early 1900s. By 1945, coal resources were exhausted from the wars.

Oil Fuel: An Introduction

Oil fuel has been used for centuries but not always as fuel. Being brought up from wells in the Middle East and other hotspots, oil was used in the 1800s for waterproofing buildings, boats, etc. Also, oil was used as a disinfectant in the medicine field as well as a cure for kidney stones.

Once oil’s potential as an energy source was discovered, it quickly replaced wood and other energies as fuel. At the time, there was a gross of oil in the world since it was an untapped source. Oil was used in large numbers all over the world.

Energy Overview

Energy crisis's have been an issue since the 1800's. The industrial revolution saw one of the first energy crisis's when wood became scarce. Wood was quickly replaced with other resources, such as coal. During the 1900's, the world experienced it's first oil shock in 1973. Although these past crisis's were resolved, they seem to be reappearing today. Alternative resources, such as wind power, are being developed to possibly replace the world's finite resources (natural gas, oil and coal). Many wonder if these alternative resources will be able to successfully and effectively replace natural gas, oil and coal - resources that have been around for years and are used in nearly every industry worldwide.

"Alternative Energy": an introduction

Despite the current hype about “alternative energy” being modern and very new, these sources are not as contemporary as most people think and have quite a long history. Until up to the Industrial Revolution, wind mills were a vital source of power which made life easier by grinding spices and gain (although, it would be some time later before they’re used to produce actual energy). In 1868, the Cragside House in Britain was the first home run entirely by hydroelectricity, a very important milestone in alternative electricity.

After the Industrial Revolution, they were still used in less modern areas of the globe but were fairly nonexistent in industrialized areas having been replaced by coal and steam power. Other energies were introduced, but the only real source to make a real difference was oil. It was not until the current energy crisis challenging our world did alternative energy make a come back and is attempting to be reintroduced as a replacement to non-renewable energy.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windmill

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_revolution

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-cragsidehousegardenandestate/w-cragsidehousegardenandestate-refurbishment.htm

Welcome

This is a first test to the World History Energy Blog.