Energy Overview & Information

In defining the broad category of Energy, we have confined our website to the most common terms used by the general public in discussing the environment and global warming issues: Fossil Fuels, Biofuels, Renewable Energy and Nuclear Energy. Though Americans account for only five percent of the world’s population, we consume 26 percent of the world’s energy.

Americans burn fossil fuels to generate electricity and power our automobiles, and in doing so we are the largest contributor to green house gases in the world. Alternative renewable and clean energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, tides, and biomass, and also the controversial nuclear energy, are being pursued for electricity generation, while cleaner biofuels are being developed to power our cars. However, these new technologies are not without controversy and have stimulated scientific debate about the real costs, the economics with and without tax incentives, the unforeseen impact on other parts of the environment, and the knock on effect on other parts of society such as food prices as the demand for grains for biofuels competes with the demand for food.