Oil, natural gas, coal, and other mined fuels
provide the United States with nearly all of its
energy needs at a cost $700 billion per year.
Since more than 90 percent of its oil deposits
have been depleted, the United States now imports
over 70 percent of its oil at an annual cost of
$400 billion. United States agriculture is driven
almost entirely by these non-renewable energy
sources. Each person in the country on a per
capita consumption basis requires approximately
2,000 liters per year in oil equivalents to
supply his/her total food, which accounts for
about 19 percent of the total national energy
use. Farming—that portion of the
agricultural/food system in which food is
produced—requires about 7 percent and food
processing and packaging consume an additional 7
percent, while transportation and preparation use
5 percent of total energy in the United States.
Global usage of oil has peaked at a time when oil
reserves are predicted to last only sixty to
seventy more years. As oil and natural gas
supplies rapidly decline, there will be a greater
dependence on coal as a primary energy source.
Currently coal supplies are only capable of
providing the United States with 50 to 100 more
years of energy, although considering the
environmental damage done by using coal it is not
clear whether we will actually use up all the
reserves. Keeping in mind the potential future
costs and availability of fossil fuels, we will
explore how agricultural production can be
maintained while reducing fossil energy inputs by 50 percent.
<http://www.monthlyreview.org/090803pimentel.php>Link
--
Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2009/08/reducing-energy-inputs-in-agricultural.htm>monochrom
at 8/07/2009 02:03:00 PM
