The desire to completely abandon fossil fuels does not seem so impossible in reality. The main thing is that this desire really exists. Such conclusions were reached by scientists from the University of Sussex. In their opinion, humanity can completely abandon the consumption of coal and oil within just one decade. This conclusion is made on historical evidence, which the rest of the world for some reason tries in every possible way to ignore.
Professor Benjamin Sovakul, study leader, notes that the transition from one energy source to another has happened very quickly in the past, but with a combination of several factors: “strong government support”, as well as some economic and environmental incentives that pushed and rebuked this transition.
For example, the Canadian province of Ontario took only 11 years to completely eliminate coal energy, while in France, in just 12 years, nuclear power rose to 40 percent. If we talk about fossil fuels, then global climate change, reductions in fossil energy resources, and the development of more advanced energy production technologies can stimulate their abandonment.
The researcher admits that in some cases, especially when some energy sources are very strongly integrated into the general infrastructure, the transition may not last as quickly as we would like. For example, it took more than one decade for the same widespread distribution of electricity. Nevertheless, Professor Sovakul believes that even if the transition continues slowly, this does not mean at all that we should abandon it as a hopeless direction. After all, efficiency in this case depends only on the general desire and effort.
Of course, creating this collaborative effort is a very different issue that needs a clear solution. While these same electric vehicles and renewables are slowly but surely gaining popularity among society, they have to face serious opposition from the fossil energy industry (as well as the politicians who protect it). It is these factors that are preventing an early transition to cleaner energy sources. Moreover, developing countries cannot afford to ditch fossil fuels right now. It will cost a lot and will also leave many people without constant sources of energy.
The acceleration of the transition will not happen until the political and economic benefits of using clean energy are so clear that even the most die-hard fossil fuels and energy proponents will agree with them.