Abstract

Energy is an essential resource with a troubled present and an uncertain future. To help provide some perspective, this paper presents a very broad overview of the past, present and possible future of global energy. The world has been in rapid change for about 200 years - change driven by the availability of energy; change that will continue as fossil fuels hit limits. The only currently-viable, large-scale, long-term, environmentally-acceptable replacement energy source is nuclear fission. The technology is within our grasp, and the resources are known. However, political failures in the ...