Yet for all this ease and efficiency, we are consuming huge amounts of energy. All around us, energy is being created and used by our furnaces, lights, appliances and cars. And every year for the last couple centuries, these machines have gotten better. But despite this, the amount of fuel that each of us consumes continues to rise. We gain benefits like convenience and greater freedom to travel, but we lose something, too.
Every barrel of oil is one fewer barrel for the future.
Look where we re going. T he good news is that we're on the cusp of some very big changes. In our lifetime we may see the end of the combustion age. New technologies already offer a glimpse into the next millennium. Fuel cells that create electricity through chemical reaction may be the first big leap, and these may be powering our cars within a decade.