It takes 33% less energy to produce a unit of GDP in IEA economies today than it did in 1973. Nevertheless, world energy demand is forecast to increase by 54% from 2001 to 2025 and to require about $16 trillion in new investments by 2030 to meet demands. A Millennium Project international panel has rated funding for commercially available non-nuclear fission and non-fossil fuel sources to generate baseload electricity by 2025 at prices competitive with today's fossil fuels as the most important mission for science and engineering in order to improve the future. The lack of clean and abundant energy has contributed to military conflicts, environmental problems, and poverty. Some 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity, and some 2.4 billion rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating.

Despite the growth in renewable energy production, without major policy, values, and engineering changes, the global share of renewable energy will be less than 10% in 2025 and oil will still account for nearly 40% of world energy consumption. The world could consume more than twice the amount of fossil fuels over the next 60 years as during the last 60. The impact of greenhouse gases on global warming is cumulative. Developing countries are expected to pass industrial ones in total carbon emissions by 2015, even though their per capita emissions will remain much lower. Unless significant progress is made on carbon sequestration, the environmental movement may try to close down the fossil fuel industries, just as they stopped atomic energy growth 30 years ago. The hydrogen fuel cell R&D competition between the EU, Japan, and the United States may speed development of this alternative to petroleum for transportation, yet fossil fuels and nuclear energy are expected to be used to help make the hydrogen.

 

Political leaders should declare "abundant clean energy" as a global goal and commit the resources needed. An international fund should be established (possibly by government corporate shares, or national energy per capita or carbon taxes) with the R&D priority of concepts that are scientifically sound, not already being pursued, and too distant to attract venture capital. Key funding categories should be energy for transportation in developing countries; universal access to electricity; carbon capture, separation, storage, and reuse; and the gap between R&D and commercialization. New projects should also include portable sources, energy storage systems, decommissioning of nuclear power plants, and nuclear waste management. All this may require the creation of a World Energy Organization (possibly by elevating the IEA of OECD) to help coordinate energy research, development, and implementing policies-such as the elimination of energy subsidies and tax incentives that perpetuate the status quo and stifle development of alternative sources. Agreement on scientific measurements will be necessary for energy pricing policies to reflect the external and environmental impacts of energy production and use.
 

 

Africa: Roughly 95% of the hydropower potential in the region is untapped. Carbon sequestration for coal-based power stations and nuclear waste disposal in South Africa is needed. Excluding South Africa, more than 90% of sub-Saharan African household energy comes from wood and other forms of biomass, which contributes to desertification and climate change and undermines health and development. Without increased investments in solar, wind, and hydropower, biomass will continue to be a dominant energy source.

 

Asia and Oceania: Demand for energy in developing Asia is projected to double between 2001 and 2025, accounting for 40% of the world's increase. Coal accounts for two-thirds of total energy usage in China, which is a quarter of world consumption-making China a critical player in any carbon sequestration strategy. Supplying electricity to its urbanizing population in a sustainable manner is a huge challenge for China, which should focus more on solar power, wind energy, hydropower, tidal energy, and compressed natural gas for energy sources. Japan and South Korea import nearly all their energy. Japan is studying carbon sequestration for fossil fuels and how to process solar energy in orbit and beam it to electric power grids on Earth. It also plans to have 5 million fuel cell cars by 2020. A Chernobyl-type accident could take place at India's nuclear power plants anytime. The Middle and Near East overlooks the seriousness of the competition to come from alterative sources.

 

Europe: In 2003 Iceland opened the world's first filling station for hydrogen-fueled vehicles and it plans to use geothermal-produced electricity to mass-produce hydrogen within 30-40 years, becoming the first non-fossil-fuel country. Renewable energy accounts for 6% of the EU's energy use, which the EU hopes to increase to 12% by 2010. Electricity from wind increased in Europe by 23% in 2003, compared with a 40% increase in 2002, putting EU Renewable Directive's target at risk. Opinion on nuclear power is divided; Germany has announced it will phase out all nuclear energy production, while France is still nearly 80% dependent on nuclear plants. Inefficient and old coal power and other plants cause environmental degradation and economic loss in Eastern Europe.

 

Latin America: Space solar power satellites may have more allies in the developing world than in the industrial one, with all their vested energy inserts. The region needs to increase its energy consumption per capita, and hence its development, becoming a stronger and more peaceful region. The key to affording enough energy for a better quality of life lies in installing the proper infrastructure, using more renewable energy sources, and avoiding as much as possible the mistakes made by the United States.

 

North America: Require new cars (as of two years after passage of the law) to either have GEM (gasoline, ethanol, methanol) fuel capability or else be fuel-cell or dedicated electric cars; invest in carbon-tolerant alkaline fuel cells that can use methanol as well as hydrogen; and develop low-cost carbon nanotube "molecular sponge" to hold high volumes of hydrogen under relatively low pressure for hydrogen-powered cars. The United States has made the development of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FreedomCar) a national priority, committing $1.7 billion over five years, and announced a $1-billion, 10-year demonstration project to build a zero-emission power plant (FutureGen). Methanol may be the fuel for near-term dual-fired cars and over the long term for more-efficient fuel cell cars. Four options to meet long-range energy demands are fossil fuels, nuclear energy, conventional alternatives, and space solar power. Energy can be beamed to electric grids via microwave from solar cells in orbit or on the moon and from terrestrial