Why Is Burning Fossil Fuels A Problem?
The use of fossil fuels is a major point of concern and will continue to be so for a good deal of time to come. Why is there so much concern about this issue, and what can we do about it? There is no doubt that the technological and financial success of developed nations is due almost solely to the use of cheap energy such as coal, oil and natural gas. These energy sources fire the power stations, drive the vehicles and support the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Why is this a cause for concern? Coal and oil have been fuel sources for thousands of years, so why has this become an issue now? The reasons are population and lifestyle. In less than 80 years the human population has swelled from around two billion to over six billion. At the same time technology has advanced steadily so that now almost all the devices we use require electricity. Add to this the fuel cost of personal transport and the size of the energy bill starts to become clearer. The most publicized problem with
