Sunday, November 23, 2008

Do We Need Renewable Energy Solutions?

By Will Downing

That may seem like a very odd question. Certainly everybody knows that we need renewable energy solutions. The ecology of this planet is going to heck in a hand basket. Our oil reserves will soon be as extinct as the dinosaur and everybody is fighting against nuclear because they're all afraid of being blow off what's left of this rock. It's not a pretty picture. But in case you're not aware of all this, let me throw some statistics your way.

Well the biggie is that there will be no oil left once we reach 2056 - that's less than fifty years away. Chances are I'm not going to be around by then, and neither will many of you (unless that cure for old age comes along). There will still be our offspring, and their offspring, and they are going to want oil and fuel to run their planet. How are they going to manage that if there's none left?

Now, to be honest, David Hume says we'll never run out. But I place little trust in a man who's been dead for over 230 years. I mean after all, back then we didn't have the consumption that we have now. Heck, we didn't even have cars, let alone trains and jet planes. No, I don't think David Hume is a good yardstick to judge the energy crisis on.

But if you really need proof that the world has an energy problem, just take a look at all the wars that have essentially been fought over this very problem. Oh, make no mistake about it. All that hubbub in the Middle East is about one thing and one thing onlyoil. And the US knows that it's days are numbered as far as relying on other sources for oil. As a result, we're in bit of a panic mode right now.

Renewable energy starts to look like our only hope, the direction we should be looking in. If not, what are our options? A return to the dark ages? Eventually we'd even run out of wood for fires, and our lifestyles have not really evolved to cope with that.

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