Fuel - sustainable and unsustainable
Fuels provide the needed energy to create work. In very general terms, fuel creates heat to be converted into work. More recently, we have included more sustainable means of power generation in this category because natural systems are not as wasteful or harmful as fossil fuel burning.
Stats - We consume a 137,000 TWh (terawatt hours) annually: 40,000 TWh from gas, 53,000 TWh from oil, and 45,000 TWh from Coal.
High Risk
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High Risk 〰️
Boundary - Though we are using fossil fuels at an alarming rate, the remaining resources are quite large. Estimates suggest that if we continue at this current rate, there is enough oil and gas to last over 100 years. However, the planet will not sustain us. The harms from fossil fuels are already the primary cause of the climate crisis.
The Cost - We cannot replace oil, gas, and coal at any cost. However, sunlight, wind, and other renewable sources are currently freely available.