Energy, what an enormous subject! As vast as the universe. Our universe is overflowing with the boundless energy of billions of galaxies, all in ceaseless movement and each made up of billions of stars radiating heat, light and electromagnetic waves. And among this myriad of stars is the sun, generously spreading its rays over the earth and nurturing life here on earth: the life of a multitude of organisms, including animals, which use this energy to live and move around. These organisms include a very special animal: Man. For several thousand years and most notably in the last two centuries, humans have found the simple energy of their muscles to be insufficient. We have built a modern industrial civilisation and, to make it work, we have tamed the energy sources available in nature: for example, the wind, moving water and the burning of wood. And more recently we have exploited the less obvious resources, hidden under the ground or difficult to control; resources such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fission.
Today, Man has arrived at a turning point in his history. The forms of energy which he uses the most, fossil energy sources (oil, gas and coal), are soon to become rare. They can only be renewed over a period of millions of years! Moreover, the ever-increasing consumption of fossil energy gives off huge quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2). As this gas accumulates, it has a tendency to provoke serious disturbances in the climate. There is no miracle solution to these two problems, but there are a large number of actions, which, put together, will allow us to get over the difficulties which are looming. It will be up to each of us to play a part in meeting this enormous challenge: continue to ensure the availability of the energy necessary for the life of our future children.
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