Thirst for Oil ？？Worldwide every day,we devourthe energy equivalent of about 200 million b

Thirst for Oil

？？Worldwide every day,we devourthe energy equivalent of about 200 million barrels of Oil. Most of the energyon Earth comes from the Sun. In fact enough energy from the Sun hits theplanet's surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year,we just needto find an efficient way to use it. So far the energy in oil has been cheaperand easier to get at. But as supplies dwindle,this will change,and we will needto cure our addiction to oil.

？？ Burning wood satisfied mostenergy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution, when ener- gy-densecoal became the fuel of choice. Coal is still used,mostly in power stations, tocover orle quar- ter of our e？？nergy needs,but its use has been declining sincewe started pumping up oil. Coal is the least efficient,unhealthiest and mostenvironmentally damaging fossil fuel,but could make a comeback, as supplies arestill plentiful;its reserves are five times larger than oil's.

？？ Today petroleum,a mineraloil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to producepetrol,diesel oil and various other chemical substances, provides around 40% ofthe world's energy needs,mostly fuelling automo'oiles. TheUSconsumes aquarter of all oil, and generates a similar pro- portion of greenhouse gasemissions.

？？The majority of oil Comesfrom the Middle East,which has half of knownreserves. But other sig- nificant sources includeRussia,NorthAmerica,Norway,Venezuelaand the North Sea.Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refugel could be a majornewUSsource, to reduce reliance on foreign imports.

？？ Most experts predict wewill exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years,though opinions andestimates vary. We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next fewdecades,when demand exceeds supply. As conventional reserves become more difficultto access. others such as oil shares and tar sands may be used instead. Petrolcould also be obtained from coal.

？？ Since we started using fossilfuels, we have released 400 billion tonnes of carbon, and burning theentire reserves could eventually raiseworld temperatures by 13℃. Among other horrors, this would re- sult in the destruction of allrainforests and tile inching of all Arctic ice.

we will need to cure our addiction to oil. " Why ？？does theauthor say so？？？？？

A.Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun

B.Oil supply is increasing all the time

C.Demand for oil is increasing all the time

D.Oil supply is decreasing