The Netherlands’ average yearly electricity and gas bill amounts to approximately 200 euros per month. Thanks to this energy, we can heat our homes, prepare our meals, enjoy hot water on demand, and operate appliances that make washing clothes and cleaning dishes effortless. Spending around 200 euros monthly becomes synonymous with employing a dedicated team, quietly powering our everyday comforts. This is what energy has provided us; this is what fossil fuels have bestowed upon us. This short article will illustrate that, while at first glance 200 euros per month for gas and electricity appears to be a significant amount, it is, in fact, minimal when considering what it offers us. In summary, I wish to demonstrate that our energy consumption is misaligned with its true value.
Everything around us is made of fossil fuels. A simple yet comprehensive claim. One that may seem absolute at first, but which, in reality, almost ends up feeling like a euphemism when we look upon things more closely. Taking this into account, let us do a small thought experiment. I highly encourage you to look around you at this moment and to find an object that has not necessitated some machine, some tool, some component and in short, some fuel to function or be created. The answer is most likely that there is none.
The truth is that absolutely everything we have used since the day we were born was made if not from petrol, coal or gas, then at the very least using them. The food we eat needs tractors and industrial fertilisers to grow and be harvested. Then it is packed in plastic made from oil to be shipped by truck, boat or plane, all of which run on fossil fuels, to land on your plate. The computer on which I type has necessitated rare earth minerals from a dozen different countries and an assembly process that required engineers from all over the world. The bed we sleep in, the shoes we run with, the cups we drink from, the books we read, the headphones we listen to music with and the bikes we go to school with were all made using these energy sources. In short, everything around us is fossil fuel.
This simple realization leads us to another conclusion. If fossil fuels are the basis of everything we wear, eat, and in general consume, they are not an integral part of the economy. They are the economy. This distinction may seem unimportant, but its ramifications are of tremendous consequence. Today, the global news outlets and the communication teams of politicians treat coal, petrol and oil as mere commodities which fluctuate in price and therefore have an impact on the economy, yet this is not the entire picture. If wheat production suddenly crashes, then the global response is to buy less wheat and switch to corn. However, if fossil fuel extraction crashes, the economy crashes with it. Whenever there is an oil crash, whether it be intentional or not, the entirety of the world’s economy trembles.
The fluctuation of oil prices signifies the fluctuation of the world’s economy. When oil prices rise, production costs increase, which is then reflected in the final price that the customer must pay. Moreover, the productivity of the average customer relies on petrol as well, as they need to drive to work (using petrol) and eat food, which requires petrol for cultivation and transportation. This means they may no longer be able to afford the product, leading to decreased sales. Thus, a vicious cycle emerges, rapidly escalating to biblical proportions. It is simple, mathematical, and unfalsifiable.
This leads us to our final point. Fossil fuels have not only powered our cars and fueled space exploration but have also driven advancements in medicine, enabled global communications, and supported modern manufacturing—even in fields as advanced as hypersonic technology, fossil fuels have made their impact. What will happen when the supply dwindles? The aim here is not to make an apocalyptic prophecy but rather to highlight the claims made above. We need fossil fuels. Without it, globalisation stops, the internet dies, and the world goes hungry.
Yet, we do not regard it as such. We mass-produce single-use tools and toys for no reason other than to satisfy our impulsive desires and purchases. We consume, consume, and consume without considering the cost, and that’s not even factoring in climate change. Let us not forget that, as of today, there is no singular alternative energy source that matches fossil fuels in affordability, scalability, and reliability. It is unlikely that there will be. The limitations of wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels are apparent, and their energy return on investment is dwarfed by that of traditional CO2-emitting energy sources. Furthermore, energy storage options such as lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen tanks are not sufficiently efficient and serve as a significant bottleneck for large-scale renewable adoption. Moreover, while one could argue that nuclear power presents a viable alternative, the current complexity of implementation means that only wealthy and technologically advanced nations will be capable of putting this solution into effect. With nuclear energy, we would certainly have cheap and reliable access to electricity, though not on the same scale as that provided by fossil fuels.
If this article could be summed up in one sentence, it would read: Fossil fuels have shaped modern civilisation, but their abundance has been assumed to be perpetual. The purpose of this article, therefore, is not to serve as a scathing critique of our current system, although it may be perceived as such. Rather, it is a call to awareness, innovation, and strategic planning to navigate the energy challenges ahead. It urges us to recognise that while we can fly, heal people, and feed the majority of the world, this ability relies on finite resources. Let us not forget that there are currently no alternatives in place to address a potential and inevitable decline in supply. Therefore, let us use these resources sparingly.
Sixte
