A Field Guide to Talking About Energy

Do you think about where the gas you put in your car comes from? What about the electricity in your home? Under typical circumstances, the average person* living with access to large amounts of energy doesn't consider energy outside of buying gas and paying an electric bill. But because energy is a global industry, distant conflict, or regional environmental conditions change and suddenly energy, particularly energy price, is top of mind. In my (short) lifetime, I've already experienced several defining energy moments. Most recently: 20% of the world's supply of LNG can't get out of ports, so worldwide prices for LNG have increased. In 2021, we saw how the Texas isolated power grid under unusual weather conditions left people without power for days. This was shocking in a nation with the total average interruption time well below 10 hours a year. In my experience, these interruptions have served to demonstrate just how dependent I am on having large amounts of energy, whether in the form of electricity or fossil fuels, to go about my daily life. When suddenly energy is more expensive or even unavailable, I find that I get curious. One way that curiosity manifests is the question: "what can I do about making energy something I can rely on without thinking about it?" For most people I speak to, this overlaps with political or social ideals, of moving towards more reusable energy infrastructure and away from high-polluting energy sources. This focus on consumer choices makes sense because buying is how people typically interact with energy (remember: gas and electricity). The solutions to these problems at a consumer level look like electric cars, balcony solar, or taking the train, but the problems are actually much bigger than any of these solutions alone. This field guide poses questions that invite you to consider how the energy you use is connected to and dependent on Global-scale economic and political systems. Each question is followed up with a few more questions that provide more context.