Chapter 5 was about man's rise into the industrial age. It discusses various sources of fuel and their impacts on the environment and our world. It mentions Hyrdo turbines and nuclear fission because both of these are common alternatives to fossil fuel. They are both primary producers of electricity and very valuable to us still. Nitrogen fertilizers were developed as a result of the abundance of electricity and energy created in the last century by both fossil fuels and their alternatives. Even in the best of systems, thermal efficiency decreases over time. This means that whatever system you're using to harvest energy from will become less efficient slowly over time.
Is it feasible that there could be another oil crisis like the one in the 70's?
If so, I think that instead of continuing the way we are, that an oil crisis would be the catalyst that would force us to change. Thoughts?
It's known that ancient societies used fossil fuels as a resource in some cases. Could it be possible that we've lost some form of fuel along the way that would be beneficial at this point in history?
It is feasible that we could have another oil crisis. In a sense, we already did, in 2008, though it was different from the 1970s ones in that it wasn't brought on by geopolitics but by simple geology.
ReplyDeleteYes, an oil crisis would be a big catalyst for change. To an extent, it's already been a catalyst for small-ish change, in terms of people's driving habits.
By "lost" do you mean "forgot how to access/use"? It's possible, but the known ancient use of fossil fuels was very limited, and conversely their known economic life is easily explained by non-fossil sources, so although it's hard to rule out the possibility you're describing, it's highly unlikely.