Can we replace fossile fuels with energy of cattle and human beings?
970513
We can replace a lot of fossil fuels with methane energy. There's a town in the US which is almost totally run on methane gas from an intensive feedlot. If there was a will to do it there would be methane digesters and collectors on all sewerage systems and intensive farming installations.
117670
A method for making really cheap solarcells from sand and a way to transport the elctricity the generate without any loss. The amount of energy that falls on the Sahara during a year could cover the worlds entire energy needs 50 times over even using standard photocells that convert only a few percent of the light to electricity. With such an abundant and cheap energy source we could replace ALL other energysources as electricity can be converted to any other form of energy and fuel. We could even keep gasoline cars because gasoline could be manufactured from CO2 (from the air) and hydrogen (from water). There would be alot less pollution if I could invent these things.
132955
Fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, or coal, are non-renoewable sources of energy since the supply of them on Earth is pretty much fixed.
906697
Humans have made huge impacts on the physical environment by logging, farming, building, and really just existing. The problem is the rate of change is accelerating as the population grows exponentially and people become industrialised and require more and more. The earth really cannot sustain this growth in all aspects of people greed and need. There is no easy way to slow it let alone stop it.\n\nAs a planet we are doomed! not tomorrow but before this century is out.
728848
Yes and no. Methane is generated constantly from decomposing organic matter,but not in enough quantity for humans to use. Nature cannot keep up with our demand! :-)=
978481
Barring a nuclear winter or other catastrophic event, we'll still be around, polluting, smoking, and drinking.  Humans are pretty hardy creatures, and have lived through plagues, Ice Ages, etc.  While we are using our resources at an exponential rate, I do think this will necessitate some of the newer technologies already in the works.  We'll use fossil fuels until we can't any more, but there's always other forms of energy.  Right now, its too expense to implement mass change across the globe, but soon we won't have a choice, and I can't fathom that we as people (who have been around for hundreds of thousands of years) would suddenly fail to adapt.  That's what we were meant to do- to populate this planet.  \n\nSo no, unless a catastrophe of unheard-of magnitude strikes us, we'll still be around.  People for centuries have said the end times are upon us.  I'm still waiting....
639722
Yes. In about 150 years there will be no oil if we continue this way.\nAnyway .. there are unlimited resources, at least for energy, ... solar/eolian/waterfall energy.\nHope this helps
1105028
read this\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy
105859
The very first thing we would do is simply shift to producing oil from coal. The price of oil would increase slightly, probably by an additional 50%, but that would be all the difference that people not employed drilling or refining oil would even notice.\n\nIf we ran out of coal as well we would then shift to nuclear electric power.\n\nSolar energy is way, way way down the list. In terms of workable options as a replacement for oil and natural gas it is about 30th on the list IIRC. Solar power simply isn't very good for all sorts of reasons.\n\n>>>>>> Most say that we have enough fossil fuels until about 2050.\n\nYou really shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Web you know. Check your sources.\n\nMost don’t say that at all. None at all say that. The best figures are that we have enough LIQUID CRUDE OIL for about 100 years, and enough fossil fuels for about 200 years beyond that AT LEAST.\n\nFollow the references I provided if you are interested in real information from real research organisations and real universities.
1171490
So far, there's not enough demand to warrent the extra cost of developing alternative energy sources.  In order to stop using oil (for power) we will need to find cheaper ways of getting alternative energy or become much more motivated to do so.
53672
This is a very complex question.  \n\nThe crude oil reserves in the world are a semi-finite resource.  It takes many millions of years to create the oil that is in the earth. So it is possible to run out.\n\nCurrently there are no plans in place by any nation that could compenate for the depletion of this valuable natural resource.\n\nSome alternatives are being developed. Solar - greatly available but unfortunatly at this time the efficiency of the solar cells is not up to the task of replacing oil.\n\nWind energy - another good option but the size of a wind farm to generate suffient amounts of energy is restrictive. There is not enough land available.\n\nThermal currents on the ocean - Another way to harness solar energy but again VERY inefficient.\n\nNuclear Fission - Already in use on a large scale.  drawbacks are the waste that it produces. EXTREMELY Dangerous radiation that lasts for thousands of years.\n\nNuclear Fussion - This is the power that drives the sun. Couple different versions are being developed but at this time there are not any viable solutions. Possible in the future but currently take a lot of energy to create this engery.\n\nBio Fuels - a great alternative that is already widely in use. again the main drawback here is the amount of land that would be needed to supply the amount of fuel that we use.  We do not have enough at the current time.  We would need almost all of our current farm land to supply the energy need and not have any available for food needs.\n\nFuel Call technology - A very good source of fuel and very clean as well. however the main type of fuel cell is currently the Hydrogen Fuel cell. This is relatively expensive to make and uses some elements that could be also be depleted in the future. also Raw hydrogen is expensive to make. Even though it is thought to be the most abundant element in the universe, most of it is bound up in other compounds. (ie. water, other fuels)\n\nCoal - another very abundant fuel source. Drawback - burns with more polution.\n\nSo overall, the world would definitly change if/when we run out of crude oil.  Things will become more expensive. Polution could get worse unless other fuels can be found that are more enviormentally friendly.  \n\nNo one knows for sure if or when it will run out but there are options. Just be prepared for many different products to come to market that will replace the ones that contain crude oil and its byproducts.
437877
It is possible, but it will be a difficult road.  <---Get it.\n\nFirst Ethanol is a very small baby step, it won't save us.  It might burn cleaner and take slightly less oil to make, but the horrible gas mileage make you have to use more of it to get where you're going.\n\nHybrid technology is on to something.  Electricity is the way to go.  With the advancements of battery & motor technology, you will soon see electric cars and trucks out perform the internal conbution engine.  The current problem is the high voltages necesary to drive those motors make these cars potentially very dangerous for mechanics to repair.  They can also be very dangerous in an acident.\n\nSo my solution is nuclear energy.  But this scares too many people.  All you have to do is build several plants out in the desert that will provide enough electricity to power everything including: heating/cooling, transportation, manufacturing, and comercial consumption.  \n\nThis will make us more ecconimically independant (richer) so that we can develop better ways of cleaning or disposing of the nuclear waste products.  My vote is shooting it into the Sun.\n\nBush's solution really isn't one.  He has to politicise the issue to placate the American people while allowing American companies to retool, research & develop, and create a delivery system for a new power source.  The current problem isn't the alternate energy source as much as it is how do companies sell us that new source.
6477
All fossil fuels are formed by decayed plants and animals. Oil, gas, coal.
678716
A plan that is diversified is the best plan. We are dependent on fossil fuels because it was seen as a great source of power, so that is what every one went to, now we are addicted.\n\nA plan that uses multiple sources of fuel, rather than putting all our eggs in one basket, might include geothermal, wind, solar, hydroelectric, or even tidal power to generate electricity. Electricity can then be easily stored for use in planes, cars, and trains in addition to running such appliances as the computer that I am using at the moment.\n\nTo offer up only one suggestion is to lead us down the road to another addiction. Diversification is the plan that has the most potential for kicking the oil habit, and securing a more stable future.
125204
Plastics may not be replaced.  They recycle well, and there is a lot of oil that cannot be converted into petroleum that can be converted into plastic.  We might find a biological substitute, though.  \n\nWe might even figure out a way to make oil.  Oil is organic material, after all.  We just need to figure out how to speed up the process.  \n\nI believe petroleum will either be replaced by a fuel made from plants (there are cars that run on fuel made from corn), or that they will convert to Hydrogen cells.  The problem with Hydrogen cells is the energy required to produce the Hydrogen.  I believe nuclear fussion reactors will probably be used both for producing electricity and for producing hydrogen fuel.  We may still have to use the fission reactors for a while, but I believe that because of concern about radioactive waste fussion reactors will become fairly common.
457897
No.  If the planet were on a cooling trend, and stayed that way for a while, it might be heading towards a periodic Ice Age, as it has done in the past.  We would consume a lot more of outr limited energy resources just to keep ourselves warm.  Also, don't worry so much about Global Warming.  As I said before, nature goes through these cycles of warming and cooling.  Yes. humans have an impact, but it is small.
241389
I think you ideas are two idealistic and not realistic considering the progression of our world today.  I think we should be on our thinking caps and try again to harness solar energy.