More energy doesn’t mean less problems

The world doesn’t necessarily need more energy, it needs to better distribute the energy it’s already producing. 

That’s the conclusion of a recent Stanford University study which suggests that high levels of energy consumption only go so far to ensure human well-being.

Researchers looked at nine metrics such as life expectancy, infant mortality, happiness and economic performance and measured them against energy use in 140 countries from 1971-2018.

Rising energy consumption improves well-being. People across the world require energy to ensure well-being. Hospitals require electricity, power is needed for sanitation and clean water, and energy is needed for businesses and economic development. 

The more accessible energy is, the more a society can provide for its population’s well-being but only up to a point.

The study finds that there is a limit at which rising energy supply stops improving well-being. “In most countries that consume much more energy than the global average, further increasing energy use per capita might only marginally improve human well-being,” said study coauthor Chenghao Wang.

How much we consume each year: The global average energy consumption per capita is around 79 gigajoules (GJ) each year.

The study says that well-being as measured by eight of the nine metrics rise steeply then plateau at consumption levels of 10-75 GJ per person. 

Beyond this, life expectancy, infant mortality, happiness, food supply, and access to basic sanitation are unlikely to see much improvement, it claims.

Some countries are far above the limit. The average per-capita energy use in the US is 284 GJ thanks to the high use of cars and airplanes.

Others are far below it: Senegal, for example, has an annual energy consumption of 12 GJ per person, a level that has remained unchanged between 1971 and 2018.

That didn’t stop it from improving at least one measure of well-being: Average life expectancy in the West African country increased by 20 years during the same time period, despite energy consumption remaining flat.

What this all means: “If distributed equitably, today’s average global energy consumption of 79 GJ per person could, in principle, allow everyone on Earth to realize 95% or more of maximum performance across all metrics.”