Bryan Moreno

Professor Tristan
Liberal Studies 2213
11 March 11, 2015
What Is the Future of Energy?
The world population is growing at a rapid pace and the more people there are the more
demands will increase. One of those massive demands will be energy, for even now third world
countries are trying to find ways to power their homes. With this growing demand follows a
conflicting energy situation, and how precisely we will solve this is reviewed by Robert B.
Laughlin.
As of right now most of the world is burning fossil fuel as the main source of energy. By
main source of energy, it is implied that almost all machinery, homes, technology, vehicles, and
other sources of energy consumers, are functioning thanks mostly to fossil fuel. The monopoly of
fossil fuels as a main source of energy was a result of innovations that needed to be powered by
something that burned, and nothing has burned more easily than fossil fuels and thats due to the
carbon molecular structure they contain. Like Laughlin clearly points out, Carbon is just too
superior in portability, lightness, and safety to all other energy storage media, at least here on
earth. (Laughlin 42). More or less the big issues with carbon based fuels is that when they burn
they produce the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, which is believed to be a main contributor to
what many people call global warming and climate change. Both of these issues coincide
differently, but are still affected by the same thing. These are just two small issues in the eyes of
many people, but what seems to be the bigger issue is that the earth is running out fossil fuels.

This is a funny idea because it seems that people care more about powering the present over the
fate of their survival on a planet that is being adversely affected by catastrophic climates and
weather changes. Besides that point what would happen when we did run out of fossil fuels? The
worlds population continues to grow which means only more energy will be consumed and at
faster rates. What is being done now to prevent future conflicts? As our world continues to
deteriorate and as our nations deplete the fossil fuel supplies what will be our alternative? It
would be impossible to just drop all types of carbon based fuels now, much less in the future.
There are two big sides that argue when it comes down to this fossil fuel issue, which are
environmentalists and the people who oppose them. At the beginning of the book Laughlin
portrays this to us with quotes from both sides. The opposing side quote, We dont need
alternative fuels because the world isnt running out of oil, oil is plentiful right now, were
making new discoveries all the time and there are forty two years worth left and the
environmentalist side We do need alternative fuels because the world is running out of oil, it
will happen in a decade or two, and we need to invest in green technologies and distance
ourselves from coal. (Laughlin 13). Either way its obvious that we will eventually end up
exploiting all of our fossil fuel energy from the earth. Now the big question, what can we do to
prevent this? In the future were going to have to stop using fossil fuels because there wont be
any. Whats the alternative? Laughlin brings up many ideas arguing the alternatives, We need to
recheck our nuclear facts, particularly as regards supply, costs, and the burdens radioactive waste
disposal and antiterrorism security. We need to scrutinize biological processing costs and make
sure theyre compared properly with those of conventional chemical processing. And finally, we
need to review and pin down, as best as we can, the supply can cost numbers of solar energy in
its various forms. (Laughlin 15). Basically hes describing how the potentials of nuclear, wind,

and solar energy are good ones, but still very infantile. Many variables have to be considered in
the reconsideration of energy use and these variables include economics, the output of the energy
type, and the availability of the energy. Laughlin justifies this by claiming, Because people
will be putting their own needs first. Alternative energy when it finally arrives will not be green.
(Laughlin 16).
In the end we are left wondering what could possibly be our options. If both fossil fuels
and the innovation of green technologies wont be useful, then what can we accomplish? Think
about it. It would be difficult to just replace the tanks of all types of vehicles to hold different
types of energy. No one in their right mind is willing to give up the car they have now to buy a
new vehicle for the sake of a new energy and preserving the world. People will put themselves
before others, Cheap energy will still be a matter of great importance to them, and theyll put
their own needs first, just as we do today. (Laughlin 67). It seems impossible to prevent the use
of fossil fuels. The big question is: what will replace fossil fuels? The answer lies within the
examples of other products like sugar and plastics. Creating synthetic fuels that replicate the
power of carbon will most likely be the cheapest option past fossil fuels. Yet there is still a
problem with this, it is still carbon based so will it still continue to interfere with the
environment? Maybe the use of other biodiversity instead of fossil fuels or synthetic fossil fuels
will create a more prominent option. Truthfully its hard to deny that carbon wont be part of our
future energy and Laughlin elaborates, Thus, the end of fossil fuel burning that occurs two
centuries or so from now will be a carbon, not an energy revolution. People will still use the
same kinds of transport and heating technologies that they do today, but the mix will be different
on account of changes in prices. (Laughlin 52). What is discovered here is that it would be
optimistic to hope that alternative energies will help replace the need for energy demand in the

future, pessimistic to assume that we must exhaust every bit of fossil fuel we can until we run
out, but realistic to realize that solution is neither both, instead it lies within a gray area that will
stabilize the balance we seek.
Of course its difficult to come to conclusions now as most of Laughlins book is
prediction, so technically fiction in the present, yet his assumptions are based on past and present
situations. I was very enthusiastic about reading this book, and I still am about figuring out the
energy crisis we will face, but Ive realized that what I was most hopeful for is probably not
possible. As humans we will always seek whats best in our interest at the present time, even if
we dont believe were doing so. Even though this may be the case it doesnt hurt for me to stay
optimistic and to try my best to aid in this forthcoming dilemma.

Works Cited
Laughlin, Robert B. Powering the Future: How We Will (eventually) Solve the Energy Crisis and Fuel
the Civilization of Tomorrow. New York: Basic, 2011. Print.