The need for responsible energy usage

The Need For Responsible Energy Usage Fossil fuels: the world 's primary energy source, a precious resource capable of powering both vehicles and economies. This nonrenewable fuel source is created by dead animal and plant matter that has become fossilized through the application of pressure and heat in Earth 's crust over millions of years. Once thought to be in abundance, this depleting fuel source has both consumers and producers worried about its future, as most modern transportation technology is operated by some sort of fossil fuel source. According to scientists, the world 's fossil fuel resources are set to run out in the near future, with data suggesting that it may be as soon as ten to fifty years from now. The rapidly depleting fossil fuel supply and the negative effects of some fossil fuel byproducts have triggered the need to manage our supply of fossil fuels. Society has grown complacent over the years; in America, not only have we increased the use of these fuel sources, but we have also expanded their application, which, in turn, has created an economy that is highly dependent on fossil fuels. The United States of America accounts for about three percent of the world 's known oil reserves; however, Americans consume over eight times that amount, slightly more than a quarter of the world 's energy resources. Half of the energy consumed in America goes to automobiles and yet two-thirds of automobile fuel usage is due to weight. In the last twenty-five years, the cars in the United States have not only become heavier, but the sheer number of drivers has also grown at an exponential rate. Yet the demand for low-efficiency luxury vehicles and our increased dependence on automobiles has contributed to the rising demand for oil and an increase in pollution over the years. The average driver in the United States in 1980 would travel an estimated 9,700 miles annually; in 1998 that distance increased by 34 percent to an average of 13,000 miles

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