#17:Humanity’s Love & Hate Toward Energy

From the campfires of the primitive era to modern nuclear power, humanity has both advanced technologically and struggled in securing energy. In 1905, Einstein’s famous equation E = mc^², a byproduct of his special theory of relativity, revealed that the energy contained in matter is roughly 90 trillion times its mass. In other words, just one gram of matter can produce about 90 trillion joules of energy—enough to power a 100-watt light bulb for roughly 30,000 years, or equivalent to roughly 2,000 tons of oil. However, discovering the theoretical potential for immense energy did not eliminate humanity’s concerns over energy. Humanity has continued to struggle with the task of harnessing energy from matter.

According to a survey released by Bain & Company in March this year, nearly half of corporate executives two years ago believed the world could achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Today, that figure has fallen to less than one-third. In fact, 44% now believe that the target will not be reached until after 2070. Faced with increasingly tense global geopolitics, many governments and companies are shifting priorities toward energy security. As a result, their strategy has evolved into what is often referred to as "All of the Above"—an approach that aims to secure access to all forms of energy, including not only solar and wind, but also oil, gas, and nuclear.

The 7th goal of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. ” Yet today, nearly 700 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity, and billions more live in energy poverty, without sufficient energy to support a decent standard of living. There are high expectations that advanced technologies, especially digital innovations, can help resolve these global social challenges. However, adoption of generative AI varies greatly by country. While developed nations and China are rapidly advancing in its deployment and development, emerging and developing nations are significantly lagging behind. Rather than bridging the divide between nations, generative AI may actually widen existing disparities. Moreover, the explosive rise of generative AI is expected to drive a sharp increase in data centers, causing energy demand to grow far beyond previous assumptions. The battle for energy is no longer confined to nations—it is also taking place between AI and humans. Additionally, as security concerns take precedence over climate change action, environmental issues are increasingly being pushed onto future generations. In that sense, the struggle for energy can also be seen as a conflict between generations.

In modern times, energy has played a critical role in determining the course of human development and the balance of power among nations. The 20th century was so deeply influenced by petroleum that it is often called “the century of oil.” Oil served as a major energy source that powered the development of many industries, and because battleships, tanks, and fighter planes all depended on oil, control over it became a key factor in national strength. In 1941, Japan was already facing economic pressure due to the ABCD embargo, but the decisive blow came in August of that year when the United States imposed a complete oil embargo on Japan. This became a pivotal factor that pushed Japan toward war with the U.S. On the economic front, entrepreneurs like John D. Rockefeller built massive fortunes from oil, founding the oil majors and exerting enormous influence over the global economy and politics. Geopolitically, the Middle East rapidly developed as the world’s largest oil-producing region. In 1960, the establishment of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) gave oil-producing nations considerable leverage over global energy supply and demand. Political instability in the Middle East, such as the repeated Arab-Israeli wars and the Iranian Revolution, caused significant fluctuations in oil supply, sometimes triggering global oil crises with major economic impacts.

The “Shale Revolution,” marked by the mass production of shale oil and gas, turned the United States into the world’s largest oil producer by 2018. In addition to this trend, the rapid expansion of renewable energy generation capacity further diminished the strategic importance of Middle Eastern oil. As a result, Western involvement in the region has declined, and the geopolitical influence of the Middle East is shrinking. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, regarded as the "leader of the Middle East," announced “Vision 2030” in 2016—a roadmap to reduce the country's dependence on oil and diversify its economy. Alongside large-scale infrastructure investments like the NEOM project, which aims to build a massive futuristic smart city, the Kingdom has established a $100 billion fund to invest in advanced technologies such as AI. It is also increasing its global presence through international events and advancing mature and systematic reforms domestically, such as promoting women’s participation in society. While this strategy exemplifies the notion that “data is the new oil of the 21st century,” the timeframe to achieve this transformation is limited. If oil prices fall too far, the funding necessary to achieve such reforms could run dry.

Despite energy being absolutely vital to human survival, the reason we still fail to secure an adequate supply lies not only in the difficulty of obtaining energy sources, but also in the inefficiency with which we use energy. Resources like coal, oil, and uranium cannot be used as-is; they require some form of processing to extract usable energy. And once that energy is extracted, it still needs to be converted into forms suitable for human use, often requiring transportation and storage along the way. For example, in thermal power generation, energy conversion follows a chain: chemical energy → thermal energy → mechanical energy → electrical energy, with an overall conversion efficiency of only about 40%. In solar power generation, the efficiency drops even further—typically under 20%. When electrical energy is then converted into light, the losses continue: LEDs achieve 30–50% efficiency, fluorescent lamps around 20%, and incandescent bulbs only about 10%. Further losses occur during transmission, and again when energy is stored and discharged. The gap between this reality and the enormous theoretical energy predicted by Einstein’s equation, E = mc², is dizzyingly vast. It is precisely because we love energy that we pursue it, and in pursuing it, we struggle and fight. This love-hate relationship with energy is one that humanity will likely continue to grapple with for a long time to come.