Energy barriers refer to the minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. This concept is crucial in understanding how reactions proceed, as molecules must overcome these barriers to transform into products. The height of the energy barrier can influence the rate of a reaction; higher barriers typically result in slower reactions. In the context of thermodynamics and kinetics, energy barriers are often represented by activation energy. This is the energy needed to initiate a reaction, and it can be affected by factors such as temperature and the presence of catalysts, which lower the barrier and speed up the reaction process.