Fossil Fuels: For How Long are they the Dominant Energy?

In essence, it seems all the talk about energy independence, turning to renewables, etc., it seems that fossil fuels have been the U.S.'s dominant form of energy for quite some time despite efforts to make investments in renewable sources and energy efficiency measures to make us less dependent on them. When policy-makers make claims that we as in the U.S. need to wean ourselves away from fossil fuels, at least in the case of oil, why haven't we? It appears that all the talk about how the U.S. can be energy independent or can lessen its carbon footprint upon first glance is rhetoric since as of now, we are still a fossil fuel dependent economy. That is not to say, of course, the U.S. should be resigned to the fact that it will always be that way. However, the questions is: For how long will fossil fuels be the dominant energy source in the U.S.?

The answer may be quite some time since the U.S. has been a fossil fuel dependent economy at least since the Industrial Revolution with the burning of coal for heat, etc. Part of the problem is that fossil fuels are heavily subsidized to the tune of "hundreds of billions of dollars (which) would be better spent on health, education, renewable energy or other actions that would accelerate the transition to a green economy." As a result, it appears that lawmakers are afraid, unwilling, or simply not interested in what is really the elephant in the room so to speak--the subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas that make their price relatively low and make it difficult to "transition to a green economy."

Thus, it appears that as long as there is no change in the subsidy structure fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas are simply here to stay as the dominant energy sources for the U.S. Consequently, it may be argued that the attention at least right now paid to renewable energy sources is relatively small compared to ensuring that the coal, oil, and gas industries continue to get their annual subsidies.  These subsidies may ultimately be problematic for human health. Some fossil fuels like coal, which emits carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, may cause health problems where "Children have more lung surface area per body weight than an adult does and kids have different breathing patterns—they breathe more air per pond of body weight than an adult does. So if that air is polluted they get a higher dose of that air." As such, fossil fuels may continue to be a dominant energy source, but the more information that gets out about their impacts on human health and the environment, the more likely policymakers will do something to remedy the problem. Hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later, but for now, it appears fossil fuels will be the dominant energy for the foreseeable future unfortunately.

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