In this day and age, many different types of global energy resources exist, such as Oil, Coal, Natural Gas, and wind power. However, different countries tend to value certain energy resources over others. Although culture may play some part in this, it is the data of the biggest importers of energy resources that tells the true story.
Oil:
To begin with, the most common energy resource is Oil. The Top 5 importers of Oil are the U.S., China, Japan, India, and South Korea. One possible explanation for these results is that countries with larger populations tend to depend on Oil imports more than smaller countries, given that there are more people that depend on this resource for daily activities, such as driving.
Coal:
While coal used to be a much more popular energy resource, the recent effort to reduce greenhouse gases has reduced the demand for Coal from some countries such as the U.S. The big importers of Coal consist of China, Japan, South Korea, India and Taiwan. While countries such as China, India and Japan have a lot of factories; their use of coal and other environmentally-harmful resources has put them in the Top 5 Most Polluted countries in the world.
Natural Gas:
Natural gas has started to become a more popular resource in the last century given that it’s a more environmentally friendly substitute. The main users of natural gas consist of Japan, Italy, Germany, the U.S., and South Korea with many European countries following. The inclusion of European countries to this list shows that most countries in the E.U. rely more on natural gas as an energy resource than others. This could be the result of eco-friendly decisions made to reduce greenhouse gases.
Wind Power:
Because wind power cannot be transported or stored, it is impossible for countries to import wind power. However, it is still used as a resource in many countries. The top consumers of wind power are the U.S., China, Spain, Germany, and India. Due to their size, it makes sense that India, China, and the U.S. top most of the lists; however, it is also important to note that Spain and Germany are also big producers of this environmentally-friendly resource.
How do you feel about the global transition to more environmentally-friendly resources?
