title: The global energy system.
abstract: A global energy system is conceptualized and analyzed, the energy distributor sub-system of the worldwide supranational system. Its many interconnections are examined and traced back to their source to determine the major elements of this global energy system. Long-term trends are emphasized. The analysis begins with a discussion of the local systems that resulted from the deployment of technology in the mid-nineteenth century, continues with a description of the global system based on oil that has existed for the past two decades, and ends with a scenario implying that an energy transition will occur in the future in which use of coal, nuclear, and solar energy will predominate. A major problem for the future will be the management of this energy transition. The optimal use of global resources and the efficient management of this transition will require a stable and persistent global order.
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003906:Developing Countries; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D005648:Fuel Oils; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D005579:Fossil Fuels; D005648:Fuel Oils