Fossil Fuels Will Continue to Rule the World

A new study shows that, even with all their downfalls, fossil fuels are still reigning supreme when it comes to people' choices for fueling cars, power plants and so on.

Even though scientists across the globe are drawing attention to the fact that fossil fuels need to be replaced, authorities seem to be unwilling to do anything to curb dangerous emissions.

At this point, most of the pollution that is generated on our planet comes from burning oil, coal and natural gas, the three main fossil fuels.

This releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere, which in turn promote the development of the greenhouse gas effect that leads to global warming and climate change.

At this point, researchers say that global temperatures could increase by up to 2.4 degrees Celsius over the coming decades; and this would have disastrous consequences.

It is generally agreed upon that CO2 emissions need to be reduced by up to 50 percent until 2050, if this massive temperature rise is to be avoided.

Though it may seem small at first, such an increase would cause even more shifts in precipitation and drought patterns, more glacial melting, a reduction of the ice sheets, the acidification of the ocean, and the flooding of low-lying, island nations.

But, while scientists are trying to warn people about the disastrous course we're currently on, economists underline the fact that humankind is a long way from renouncing fossil fuels.

Analysts say that natural gas, oil and coal are still preferred over alternative means of producing electricity, simply because they are cheap and easy to produce in bulk quantities.

The real bad news is that energy consumption around the world is expected to increase by no less than 40 percent over the next 20 years, which means that even more strain will most likely be placed on the atmosphere via pollution.

“You look at the world of renewables and you see a lot of progress, but they are not going to outpace the growing demand for energy,” explains expert Peter Jackson.

He is the senior director of think tank and energy consultancy company IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Technology Review reports.

According to the latest predictions, petroleum, coal, and natural gas usage levels are expected to jump by 23 percent, 44 percent, and 37 percent, respectively, by no later than 2030.