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| As societies
have evolved, their demand for energy has increased. Primitive
and hunting societies used used very little energy on a per capita
basis. The shift to agricultural societies resulted in an
increase in the need for energy. While the growing of crops
insured a more reliable source of food for more people, it required
a significant increase in the amount of energy used. Modern
industrialized societies use far more energy for transportation and
industry. The use of this energy, particularly in agriculture, has allowed the human
population to reach six billion and has improved the quality of life for a large segment of that
population. The continued evolution of society and its political stability depends, in
large part, on continued sources of energy. |
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| Although there are many potential sources of energy available, fossil fuels
supplies the majority of the energy needs for modern
societies. Thus, we live in the Age of Fossil Fuels. Coal
provides energy for the production of electricity whereas petroleum
is the basis for the fuels that all us to move around so easily. |
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