Overview of Fossil Fuel Energy Resources

Figure 1~14 shows estimated global amounts of fossil fuel energy resources as of Jan. 1, 1996.

Figure 1~14. Estimated world fossil fuel energy resources as of Jan. 1, 1996. Data are from the U.S. Dept. of Energy 1996 Annual Energy Review.

Figures show how these fossil fuel resources are distributed by nation.

Figure 2~14. Coal energy reserves (in EJ) as of January 1, 1996 by nation. The former U.S.S.R. is treated as one nation in this figure. Data are from the U.S. DOE World Energy Access Database.

Figure 3~14. Oil energy reserves (in EJ) as of January 1, 1996 by nation. The former U.S.S.R. is treated as one nation in this figure. Data are from the U.S. DOE World Energy Access Database.

Figure 4~14. Natural gas energy reserves (in EJ) as of January 1, 1996 by nation. The former U.S.S.R. is treated as one nation in this figure. Data are from the U.S. DOE World Energy Access Database.

Figure 5~14. Total fossil fuel energy reserves (in EJ) as of January 1, 1996 by nation. The former U.S.S.R. is treated as one nation in this figure. Data are from the U.S. DOE World Energy Access Database.

Natural rate of fossil fuel energy resource production

Can we get an estimate for this???

Rate of fossil fuel resource use

Figure 6~14 shows annual fossil fuel usage from 1973 - 1995 (data again are from the U.S. DOE).

Figure 6~14. World annual fossil fuel energy production, 1973 - 1995. A linear fit to total fossil fuel energy production over this time period is shown. Data are from the U.S. Dept. of Energy 1996 Annual Energy Review.

Because new fossil fuel resources are still being discovered, the total amount of fossil fuel energy available on Earth is somewhat larger than the 38,000 EJ reported in the above figure. Nevertheless, this figure can be used to make two estimates of how long it will be until our fossil fuel energy resources run out.

Estimate 1: Assume that the rate of fossil fuel energy use remains the same as in 1995 (327.3 EJ/year) for every year thereafter. Then the fossil fuel energy resources known as of Jan. 1, 1996 will be exhausted in year 2111.
Estimate 2: Assume that the rate of fossil fuel energy use continues to increase linearly, as it has (approximately) between 1973 - 1995, for every year after 1995. Then the world's fossil fuel energy reserves (as estimated on Jan. 1, 1996) will be used up in year 2074.

These estimates are only crude ones. Actual rates of fossil fuel energy use in the future will be determined by many factors and will probably not follow either of the assumptions made in the above estimates. However, it is certain that the Earth's fossil fuel resources are limited, and that if we keep using them at a rate near what we do now, we will run out within a fairly short time. The exact definition of "fairly short time" is uncertain, it could be during our grandchildren's or children's lifetimes, it could even be during our own. By the time it happens, we will need to have switched to some other source (or sources) of energy.

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