Is the sky falling?

Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource. Does this surprise anyone? The contentious thing is how much is still left for us to use and how much of an impact the use of fossil fuels has on our environment. Some, usually on the side of the established government and large corporations, want us to believe that there are still lots of reserves and we will not have to change our lifestyle significantly to adapt. Others, believe that depletion of fossil fuels is imminent and we will need to make significant changes in our lifestyle as the developing world develops and sucks up what little is left in fossil fuels.

As an energy province, this is a debate that Alberta pays attention to. Certainly, Alberta has used up many of it's conventional oil reserves but is still sitting on a very large reserves in the oil sands. But will the demand for oil and it's byproducts continue?

Looking around my living room I can think of very little that doesn't owe at least something to the existence of fossil fuels. My son's tricycle - plastic. We have lot's of wood products in our living room, but they got here because the boat/train/truck guzzled a lot of gas to get it to Ikea, Staples or Zellers. Maybe the saw that cut my Ikea sofa used hydro power, but most electricity is generated using some form of fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.

I think the key thing is that we decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. I don't think we'll be able to completely wean ourselves off of them in at least my lifetime, but it's important to develop the technology for new forms of energy. We need to recognize that fossil fuels are here to stay - for now - but still recognize that they are a finite resource.

So we need to continue to develop technologies that reduce the harmful effects fossil fuels have on our environment while developing other technologies to rid ourself of our dependence. The problem for some is that this seems like a conflict of interest. The oil tycoons want to continue making millions and the alternative energy people think that the continued use of fossil fuels decreases the demand for their technology. We can't let it be. The tycoons need to realize that there is still plenty of wealth to share and the alternative energy people need to work with those who have the capital.

Canada has the potential of still being a major supplier while being a leader in developing green technologies. So instead of predicting the end of the world with the collapse of oil supplies, I really think we can marshal those resources and develop a better, more sustainable economy.