You’ve probably heard through television, magazines, and documentaries about how the world is facing a global energy crisis. Some, such as politician and author Al Gore, have been speaking out about the energy crisis for years, and their efforts have been recognized by the Noble Peace committee. However, you may wonder if what Mr. Gore and his contemporaries are talking about is of any importance to you. After all, you can’t personally stop global warming or re-freeze the polar ice caps on your own, can you?
But just because it seems like the problem is too big and that as an individual you can’t make a difference does not mean that the global energy crisis does not affect you. It certainly does. One of the most important aspects of the global energy crisis is the world’s dependence on crude oil. Oil takes millions of years to form and we have only a finite amount, yet with the current world population size and the expanding demand developing nations are making on the current supply, we are using this energy resource at an alarming rate. Never has there been a time in history that has seen a greater need for oil, in fact at the rate we are using oil it is estimated that we will run out within the next 100 years. That means that our future generations will live in a world without the prospect of fossil fuels for energy. This is why it is so important to seek out alternative energy sources before it’s too late.
The demand and scarcity of oil pushes the price up which most definitely affects us all as we so heavily rely on this as our main source of energy.
Because gasoline prices are ever on the rise, other types of fuel will come into play. One of these, ethanol is already used in many places. However, there are some issues with ethanol that will affect you. First, older vehicles cannot make use of ethanol without damaging the engine. This means as ethanol becomes more and more wide-spread you may find it difficult and expensive to find gasoline without ethanol in it. This means you may have to purchase a new car sooner than you expected.
Corn-based ethanol brings another, somewhat hidden expense to you. While not all ethanol is corn-based, some countries, such as the United States, use almost nothing but corn-based ethanol. This means that a good amount of the corn previously grown for food in the country is now being used for fuel. Corn prices, therefore, have increased. While prices aren’t unreasonable yet, you may notice that you’re paying a bit more for ears of corn than you previously did.
All in all, yes, the global energy crisis does affect you. Gasoline costs are going to increase, and even if a renewable fuel is introduced, chances are you will have to change your vehicle in some way to accommodate it.
Just like there is only so much drinkable water on the planet there is only so much natural fuel sources, it is limited, finite and is not a renewable resource so we must preserve what precious little we have.
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