Traditionally, conventional fuel sources have been primarily fossil fuels such as petroleum, cocla, propane, natural gas, and nuclear sources like uranium.
Fossil fuels themselves contain a high percentage of carbon and hydrocarbons which releases billions of tons of carbon dioxide each year to increase the amount of greenhouse gases which contributes to global warming.
They are also non-renewable with very finite stockpiles spread unevenly throughout the world which heavy geopolitical and economic nuances in its distribution and consumption. According to Hubbert's peak oil theory, there is rapid depletion of the worldwide petroleum reserves from about 1,277,702,000,000 barrels (half of the original untouched reserves) to about 50 years of remaining supply at the current depletion rate of 25,000,000,000 barrels per year.
Petroleum is needed as fuel for home heating, jet fuel, gasoline and diesel for automobiles, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, plastics/resins, man-made fibers, synthetic rubber, and explosives.
Big negatives to the use of petroleum include high oil prices, imbalance of trade, instability in the oil exporting regions of the world, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, windfall profits for American farmers and industries, potential economic depression, a scarcity of oil-related products as soon as 2021 due to oil volatility and substantial evidence to the prevalence of global warming that may trigger unprecedented climate change.
It is interesting because a few decades ago the big oil companies were trying to keep alternative fuels from coming into the hands of the general public. Using money and influence these companies were able to squash all competition, and keep the public from being fully informed on the topic of alternative fuel sources. The increasing prices of crude oil and the current public opinion of trying to "go green" seem to be the driving forces in the development of petroleum alternatives in the present day.
ReplyDeleteThis comment is form Safa
I recall a documentary that I saw a long time ago... Maybe a Michael Moore production? Something about fields and fields of electric vehicles just gathering dust out in the deserts of Arizona or Nevada, the work of our major car manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating. I would be surprised if there wasn't suppression of an alternative to a gasoline-derived monopoly!