My interest in alternative energy has been tremendously developed over the past year. I believe it will be the topic of conversation for the next 30 years. As I continue my personal research into the various advancements and innovations to energy and climate, I hope to write more and more regarding alternative energy forms and the effects of climate change.

In recent decades, fossil fuels have been the main source of energy for most uses. The obvious problem with these resources is that they are depletable and thus will dwindle sooner than later. Another problem with fossil fuels is the environmental damage that can be caused by their usage. There are many economic and political implications that these finite resources have as well. Sources like wind and solar power are renewable, thus making them appealing since they can be constantly replenished, and thus cheaper in the long run. These sources are known as alternative energy, which is a term that is generally accepted as referring to those forms of energy that are produced without the undesired effects of burning fossil fuels.

The popularity of the energy discussions of late are dedicated to three motivations according to David MacKay, a chief scientific adviser to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. First, as mentioned earlier, fossil fuels are a non-renewable, or finite. Thus, we need alternative resources in order to sustain. The transition away from reliance on fossil fuels must happen eventually, so why not begin now? Second, from an economic and political standpoint, we are troubled about the security of fossil fuels. Of course, no country wants to be dependent to the support and urges of other countries. In order to become self-sufficient, each economy must focus efforts to develop and implement sources of alternative energy. This can include a wide array of methods, such as introducing “green” policies and providing government subsidies to environmentally friendly companies. Third, there is enough relevance to suggest that we should take the issue of Global Warming seriously since the climate actually is being affected. As the old saying goes, we would all rather be safe than sorry.

The following video is a TED talk delivered by Bill Gates back in February, in which he explains his vision for the world’s energy future. As stressed by Gates, we need energy miracles; it’s time to start thinking about the future.

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