 Western
Civilization is vastly different than it was 100 years ago. The
principal difference is our use of energy
for the home and transportation. Homes and cities are built and
designed around the use of electricity and the motor car. As a
result we are now dependent on a continuous source of energy. There
are a variety of sources of energy for
generating electricity but what will happen when current sources of motor
vehicle fuels are exhausted? Part of this question is the assumption
that there will be a progressive transition to a new source of
energy. The mind set most people seem to have is: first there was
wood then there was coal then there was oil, next there will be another
energy source. People are forgetting that a lot of research has been
done on this question and hydrocarbons have been used in transport for the
last 100 years because they are the best system. Ideas that Hydrogen
is the long term answer is a Myth. For
example in the US incentives could be put in place for people to convert
to hybrid cars. This would reduce the dependence on imported oil and
generate local employment making these vehicles. |