The Best And Worst Places To Live Out The Coming Energy Apocalypse
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Energy is important for obvious reasons, and it includes more than just electricity. Fuel, transportation of goods and people, and biomass like wood, manure and corn all work together to provide different types of energy for consumption.
But there are a few countries in the world that could greatly improve their energy efficiency, as a new video from Discovery News points out.
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What is energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency refers to the management and monitoring of the growth in energy consumption, the International Energy Agency (IEA) explains. To put it simply, it’s about energy working smarter.
Who are the best and worst countries?
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the world’s largest 16 economies based on how effectively they use energy.
The top three countries were:
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Germany
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Italy
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China
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The bottom three countries were:
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Mexico
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Brazil
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Russia
Where did the U.S. rank?
The U.S. barely escaped the bottom 3, coming in just ahead of Russia.
What were the rankings based on?
Discovery News explains that ACEEE took multiple factors into account, including each country’s national energy savings goals, vehicle fuel economy standards, and total energy consumed per square foot of floor space.
Why is energy efficiency important?
Coal, oil and natural gas are the three types of fossil fuels that our world depends on the most for energy needs — but as you probably know, fossil fuels are non-renewable, as the Global Energy Network notes. We'll eventually run out, but we still need to heat our homes, transport our goods and stimulate our global economy. So while scientists work to implement alternative forms of resources, it's important to use our existing fossil fuels as wisely as possible.
