It must be obvious to everyone that it requires energy just to live. Energy from the sun keeps the earth warm, enables plants to grow.
Petroleum is required to run our automobiles, trains, and aircraft.
Name any necessity or luxury of life, and it will require energy to make that item, to operate it, and to maintain it. The more technically advanced the country and the higher the standard of living, the more energy will be demanded. Energy needs are greater today than yesterday, less than tomorrow, and are roughly in proportion to the size of the population. Somehow this message must penetrate our thinking. For a day or two, now and then, this is a tolerable but risky expedient.