Is there any hope for the world's inevitable energy crisis?

Question

We are obviously going to be running out of fossil fuels soon, within the next few hundred years...there is not enough corn or soybeans or palm oil in the world to delay this much longer...and there do not seem to be any other promising forms of energy in the world. Do you think there is hope, and if so what is it? Or should we simply just ignore the problem and put our faith in science discovering something new?

The main concern of whether or not we will attempt to solve the problem before it rears its head is that most of the politics in the world are controlled by oil companies...and of course, the two giant developing countries of the world are going to want to use the cheapest and most effective power available, and nothing matches fossil fuels.

I agree that the consumer holds all of the power - that's the good thing about America - it's like the ultimate democracy because now when it seems like corporations hold so much power, the corporations can only exist from the stockholders and consumers!

However, it's not as easy as reading a label...it takes a lot of work and research to uncover most of this information because it is not reported in the press (corporations will remove advertising which runs the press in the first place). So, this is part of the reason why so many consumers make poor choices. Take Nestle for instance - sure they're polluting less than Hershey now, but both still utilize forced child labor in the Ivory Coast of Africa in their chocolate production...and Nestle is a much, much more controversial corporation than Hersheys. So it just goes to show - do your research, or you won't know which corporations you want to support!

Answer 1

Sure there's hope. We have a variety of alternatives to fossil fuels. We waste an incredible amount of energy we could conserve instead.

The big question is this. Will we wait until there's a crisis from the expense due to scarce fossil fuels and/or global warming?

In which case we'll be in a world of scrambling to survive. We'll make it, but there will be unheard of hardships along the way. Quite possibly war. It will be the biggest disaster in human history.

Or will we get smart and start to work really hard on reducing fossil fuel use, right now?

I confess it's hard to be hopeful about how those questions will be resolved.

Answer 2

Why of course there is. Though many critics blame the supposed corporate influnce in politics, the answer to your question lies heavily in a concept that's quite the contrary.

You see, it's not the politicians who are hampering the progress of the enrgy crisis, rather its lack of supporters. Had we enough consumers who took this grim outcome of our future a bit more seriousely, we would never have to worry about it. Unfortunately, too many make the wrong choices. If people would abandoned large cars and begin investing in compacts, hybrids, carpooling, or best of all, mass transit, we would helps solve many more problems than just the energy crisis.

Too bad there are tears over gasoline prices rather than reducing the need of it. Same thing goes for people who rely on fossil fuels when there's an electric alternative available. Few people weigh initial costs over the benefits of efficiency. Generally it pays to own and operate more resourceful capital, rather than to complain about the rising and more expensive cost of refueling.

Most people don't consider who they're giving their money to either. Virtually every market sells a product or service that conumes less energy for production. One shouldn't allow higher prices to discourage them if the externalities result in the causes of energy crisis. Take for example why a Pennsylvanian should not buy Hershey's chocolate. They're relocating their factory to Mexico allowing more fuel consumption and pollution, not too mention the loss of quality employment and an economic loss to both the community and the Nation.

If you are a Pennsylvanian buying Nestle however, you're making the right choice. Neslte is choosing to continue their operations already existing within the state, which is currently imposing stricter pollution controls, the reason behind Hershey's relocation. And, any American abiding these guidlines happens to be making the right choice, for it's a less polluting one that's directly more solvent to the energy crises.

The responsibility doesn't always lie within the hands of the politician, when the consumers who voted for them aren't properly weighing their options. Should enough go forth to do so, the demand for more efficient capital would be high enough to render political power not so useful. The ability to choose grants the power to the consumer.

Read the lable and choose wisely next time. It may bring things one step further from crisis.

Answer 3

Personally I'm not going to worry about it. I kinda doubt I'll be around in a few hundred years.
This may sound greedy but they will be so much smarter in a hundred years anyhow. Any thing we come up with will be outmoded by then.

Answer 4

Remember, man survived for hundreds of thousands of years with nothing more than the sun and fire.