We analyze the general covariant energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational system in genreal five-dimensional cosmological brane-world models. Then through calculating this energy-momentum for the cosmological generalization of the Randall-Sundrum model, which includes the original RS model as the static limit, we are able to show that the weakness of the gravitation on the visible brane is a general feature of this model. This is the origin of the gauge hierarchy from a gravitational point of view. Our results are also consistent with the fact that a gravitational system has vanishing total energy.