The world runs on energy; just think about how much of your life depends on the little outlets in the walls. For now, the bulk of our power generation capacity is supported by fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas, that are pulled out of the ground. Long-term, however, the social and political pressures on fossil fuels are reducing their use, and will reduce it further. Despite huge subsidies, wind and solar power simply cannot replace the lost capacity, and we will have to find it somewhere