Hello! Welcome back for part 2 of my discussion about the future of fossil fuels. In this era, most of the people know for sure that fossil fuels are bad for the environment as it generates massive amounts of greenhouse gas emission to the atmosphere. However, this sceptic mind of mine tried to argue its validity and googled “is burning fossil fuels sustainable?” Unsurprisingly, the first 10 posts talk about how dirty and unsustainable fossil fuels are. The argument that its unsustainability is a brainwashing attempt by the Chinese government to slow down America’s economic growth remains unproven until now. I really don’t get how some people refuse to believe the scientific facts, but hey! There are flat earth believers, so maybe these global warming deniers aren’t so bad. Anyway, let’s get back to the topic of the future for fossil fuels.

According to Copenhagen Economics, our fossil fuels consumption must decrease from 85% to 60% in 2040 if we want to reach the limit the increase in global temperature to below 2^oC. Moreover, from this 60%, there should be a move away from coal and towards natural gas. Natural gas might be a cleaner form of energy compared to other fossil fuels, but its extraction process may pollute the environment. Furthermore, it still emits CO₂ to the atmosphere, hence it is not really a sustainable and viable option in the future.

However, let’s say that we can recycle fossil fuel. Wouldn’t it be a good idea? I’m pretty sure a start-up business exploiting this idea will be rich overnight. Well, too bad! Fossil fuels cannot fit in the circular economy. It cannot be reused nor recycled readily.

A question to ponder: why bother investing in sustainable fossil fuels exploration practices when we know it will run out in the future? Why not investing in an exploration for energy that last, energy that may satisfy our insatiable life? If the problem is taking the first step, don’t fret. Many have done it now. Or is it just an excuse from laziness and staying in our comfort zone?

After all my research, I can conclude that fossil fuels are bad, and it does not have a future. I hope that young people and entrepreneurs realise this so that they can move on from fossil fuels starting from now. It’s time to ride on the trend of sustainable development for a better future for all living beings.