This article questions the optimistic belief that humanity has access to unlimited energy, discussing oil depletion, technological limitations, and the need to conserve energy. It emphasizes that while energy consumption is increasing in the modern world, resources are finite, and emphasizes the importance of conserving energy and developing new technologies.
We are living in a world that uses an enormous amount of energy that was unimaginable to humans in the past. Compared to the past, we are now consuming an “ocean of energy”. Running out of available energy is not a desirable scenario for humanity.
In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari argues that there are an infinite number of energy sources in the universe, and all we need is the technology to process them into a form that we can use efficiently. He cites the Industrial and Scientific Revolutions as evidence for this claim. Previously, humans used food as a source of energy to work through their bodies. With the invention of the steam engine, many unimaginable machines became operational, but with the advancement of science, we now have electricity and even water. Advances in science now allow us to extract energy from electricity or even from invisible atomic nuclei. As such, Harari believes that the infinite progress of science and technology will provide us with endless energy.
But if energy is infinite, why do we emphasize the need to conserve energy in our daily lives and try to practice it? Is energy really so infinite that we shouldn’t worry about it?
My answer to this is “not really”. Just look at oil right now. There are countless things we use in our lives that come from oil. Petroleum is a liquid hydrocarbon that is naturally produced underground, or a refined version of it, which can also be interpreted as being trapped within the limits of the Earth. In other words, it’s a finite resource with a total amount of it. The idea that this finite energy source can be used indefinitely is an optimistic notion that ignores reality. In reality, oil production and consumption is growing by billions of tons every year. This growing consumption will lead to the depletion of the resource, which will be a major constraint on our lives.
Some might say that we should just develop a substitute for oil, but it is virtually impossible to find a resource that is a perfect substitute for oil, exists naturally, has sufficient reserves for current use, and is easy to access. Therefore, we will have to artificially create a substitute, which will consume another resource, which in turn will lead to a cyclical depletion of resources. No matter what we do, we can’t avoid the problem of energy and resource depletion.
Some might argue that the problem could be solved if we could harness solar energy more effectively. However, current technology also relies on harnessing sunlight to generate power. Even if technology improves, it’s doubtful that we’ll have any other options than harnessing light. Other technologies are being developed, such as renewable energy and nuclear fusion energy. However, renewable energy is less efficient than other technologies. New energy sources also don’t provide an infinite supply of raw materials. Nuclear fusion energy, which is being touted as the next big thing, is also facing radiation issues, and with current technology, it cannot be operated for long periods of time, so it will take time to develop.
The amount of resources and energy that humans consume is increasing with each passing year. Most of the future advances in science and technology will also require energy. Considering our growing energy use and dwindling energy storage, the consequences are obvious. Humanity will reach this singularity in the not-too-distant future, and avoiding it will be difficult without a major technological breakthrough. So what’s the best thing we can do?
Let’s be honest, no matter what we do in a world with limited energy, we’re going to use it up, and that’s an unavoidable reality. So there are a number of things we need to do. First, we need a conscious reform. Modern people are living in a seemingly infinite ocean of energy and wasting it. When these wasteful habits of individuals are aggregated, the consumption will become negligible. To prevent this, we must always be conscious of energy conservation, and not just keep it as knowledge, but turn it into embodied knowledge by practicing it.
The second is to develop energy-saving technology. If energy consumption is inevitable, we need to develop technologies to reduce it as much as possible and to recycle some of the energy that is consumed. Examples include passive houses, zero-energy houses, plus-energy houses, and low-energy houses in architecture. There’s also a technology called Ecopath, which uses a geopressure generator installed in the driveway to generate electricity using the pressure generated by vehicles driving on the road.
Finally, the invention of new technologies. I mentioned new technologies negatively earlier, but I was criticizing the attitude of living with optimism and trusting only in new technologies. Of course, these technologies don’t promise eternal energy production, but the discovery of useful energy sources can lead to the development of technologies that stretch the limits of available energy or find savings in existing technologies. If these technologies are realized, humanity will be able to postpone the time that could ultimately lead to its destruction.
Humanity has achieved modern society through endless revolutions and advancements. We live a more affluent and technologically advanced life than in the past, but perhaps we’ve become too complacent and blind to the big problems that are looming. For myself, I’ve always had the intention to conserve energy, but I often forget or don’t bother to put it into practice. After reading Sapiens and reflecting on the energy issue, I realized that the problem is more serious than I thought. This made me realize that I need to make a commitment to conserve energy, even if it’s just for myself, and live a life of action.
