Fact #102: October 18, 1999
World Fossil Fuel Potential
Although the world has consumed about one third of estimated conventional oil resources, the total fossil fuel potential is huge. Methane hydrates - a potential source of natural gas - are not shown in the graph below, but constitute the largest resource at 137.5 trillion barrels of oil equivalent.
Supporting Information
| Oil | Reserves | Resources | Additional Occurrences | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil | ||||
| Use to Date | 0.81 | |||
| Conventional | 1.10 | 1.06 | 0.00 | |
| Unconventional | 1.34 | 2.46 | 13.37 | |
| Natural Gas | ||||
| Conventional | 1.03 | 2.05 | 0.00 | |
| Unconventional | 1.41 | 1.89 | 2.84 | |
| Methane Hydrates | 0.00 | 0.00 | 137.50 | |
| Coal | 7.35 | 17.57 | 20.86 | |
|
Source: H.H. Rogner, "An Assessment of World Hydrocarbon Resources," Annual Review of Energy and Environment, 1997, p. 249. | ||||
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