Fossil fuels are well known and accepted as the single most important contributor to global warming. Their use has been increasing since the industrial revolution from the late 1700‘s to the early 1800’s as the world demand for energy has sky rocketed and shows no signs of slowing down. At first the effects of fossil fuels on the environment were ignored. But as more studies were done by scientists showing the long-term implications, there has now become a worldwide “green” movement to develop cleaner, more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels. These include biofuels, fuel cells and ethanol. Each has to be carefully assessed to make sure that in the whole process, they are having a benefit on the environment. These times are exciting as people of the world are now more aware and are prepared to understand and change.

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