The they turned into fuels. What the

 The smartphone has drastically changed ourlives since its advent 10 years ago. Loaded with more computing power than whatthe NASA super-machines had in 1969, this small device has become so much apart of our lives that we feel lost without them.  Technology is changing at a rapid pace andthis is having a profound effect on society. These are times of technologicalinnovations and living amidst jet planes, satellites, computers, organtransplants, stem cells, cellphones, copiers and birth control pills. There isno denying the fact that change is the only constant.

 Products are changing sizes and capabilitiesby the minute, they are becoming faster, efficient and cheaper and thusbecoming more accessible to larger numbers of people. Despite this refinement of technology invarious fields including communications, transportation and energy systems inthe last decade, we still depend on extracting and burning fossil fuels for mostof our energy needs. There have been evidences of burning coal/gas for heat inChina as far back as 3490 BC. The growth of the Industrial Age was fullydependent on the use of fossil fuels in different ways.  Fossil fuels are thus very useful, veryvaluable and fuel deposits have important geopolitical implications. However,in the present times of green technology, polluted air, consumption levels andpopulation growth, it is time that we left the fuel where it belongs to, in theground, and look for cleaner energy sources. The naysayers are already here. They arethe ones that said that computers would never work and would lead tounemployment, ships would never sail across the seas and there would not be anyflying machines at all.

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 They neverbelieved that streetlights would work. On the contrary they were fearful that theywould increase illnesses. They were negative about telephones, radios, trains,computers, automobiles and nuclear power. Most technological innovations andideas were met with unfounded fears, those that made them believe that thewelfare of mankind would be at stake.

 Fossil fuels are those that we derive fromfossils of living matter from the past. Fossils are those from the times beforethe dinosaurs lived, predominantly plant matter that grew in swamps. Withoutenough air to completely decompose, when they sank to the bottom of the swamps,they turned into peat. These were buried under layers of sand and silt, themoisture was squeezed out and they turned into fuels. What the plant capturedduring photosynthesis and stored as carbon and hydrogen bonds during all theseyears form the source of energy of the fossil fuels. The best thing about fossil fuels is thatthey are inexpensive, if you do not take into account the catastrophic changein climate that burning of fossil fuels has brought us to. Fossil fuels are oflimited supply, that is, they will eventually run out of stock. They are easilyaccessible now, but all that will change soon.

These have also led to otherunconventional methods of tracking fossil fuels such as drilling in the deepseas, fracking and treating oil-sands. These can damage ecosystems and causeincreased imbalance. Another important fact is that fossil fuels are used forother purposes including manufacture of medicines, lubricants and plastics.Therefore, in more ways than one, it does not make sense to burn the limitedsupply fossil fuels away.  Renewable energy sources have expandeddramatically across the globe in the last couple of decades.

This has been madepossible by technological innovations and reducing costs. Solar, wind andenergy storage systems have improved in terms of technology and come down incost. Biomimicry and other new ideas are shaping sustainable design. Smart gridsystems are used to supply electricity to homes using automation and remotecontrol methods.

Therefore, it is important to note that our energy choicestoday will have massive consequences on our climate, health and economy formany years to come. It is our collective responsibility to reject destructive energygeneration methods in favour of clean energy sources. This means we have to understand howscience works so that we are able to use its tools with mastery. For this wehave to change and understand that there are better options available to lead agood life on planet earth.

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