Decline of Fossil Fuels
- During the 20th Century the population of the world grew from 1 to 6 billion people. The comfort and mobility of modern society has been aided by energy derived from low-cost fossil fuel. By the end of the century, however, it became clear that the fossil fuel supply could not be sustained. Also, carbon from burning fossil fuels was contributing to global warming.
- Early in the 21st Century, the production of fossil fuels will peak and then start to decline, as indicated below. Dealing with this peak production will be extremely complex. The costs to recover, refine and transport the declining supplies will rise dramatically. Intense effort will be required to develop energy conservation measures and renewable energy technologies.