Depletion of Fossil Fuels

It is no secret that most of our modern world revolves around fossil fuels. But fossil fuels continue to rapidly decline because of the higher demand for them and we will soon run out. In about fifty years our fossil fuel reserves will be nearly depleted which is the reason that we must begin to wean our society off of fossil fuels and on to more abundant sources of energy. The problem with losing fossil fuels is that the energy produced by them is greater than that of more abundant alternatives. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are also easier to break down because all you must do to get energy is to combust them. Other alternative sources of power like wind and solar power are clean and infinite but cost more time and money to convert to usable power. Any estimates that scientists produce for the amount of fossil fuels left are not very accurate because the demand for them increase yearly so there is no way to know exactly how much longer we have until our reserves are completely depleted which means we need to start converting now. The reason that most people do not convert their homes or their vehicles is because of how expensive it is to run on solar power or drive a hybrid because the initial cost of conversion takes about fourteen years to even itself out. Some people who can make the conversions are just to lazy or set in their ways to want to make any kind of change simply because it would be an inconvenience. People can also do things in their everyday lives that can eventually make a difference. Things like carpooling, walking, or even taking the bus can save on use of gas and save you money at the same time. Smaller things can also help, such as unplugging outlets when they are not in use, shutting of water when you are not using it, and you can buy local products which reduces the amount of gasoline used to transport goods from the producer to the consumer. Some experts believe that our current industrial society can not evolve nor be sustained forever while operating on fossil fuels. These facts prove that if we do not make a switch off of fossil fuels very soon than we might literally be taken back into the dark ages. Fossil fuels despite there uses are obviously very harmful for the environment. When fossil fuels are burned they give off high levels of carbon monoxide which decreases the o-zone layer which has been connected with global warming. I think that the people of my generation should take it upon themselves to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in our daily lives because if it is not us that reduces the amount of fuel depletion there will be very little left for us in the near future and almost none left for the next generation of people and when there is no energy there can be panic. Another short term effect of fossil fuel depletion is that the cost of gas and other products like groceries and pretty much anything that is delivered on a truck will skyrocket up. The spike in prices will degrade the economy even further which will be a worldwide problem.

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