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-This page is about energy in 2 main forms: fuel and electricity.
+{{banner|There is currently no way to power the world without fossil fuels, until major technological breakthroughs happen.<br /><small>We have to consume less - this is not as hard as it sounds.</small>}}
+This page is about energy in 2 main forms: '''fuel and electricity'''.
 ==Energy supply==
-===The majority of energy comes from [[fossil fuels]] which cause [[climate change]].===
+===The majority of energy comes from burning [[fossil fuels]] - the main cause of [[climate change]].===
-----
+[[File: energy-usage-by-source.png|thumb|World energy by source]]
-[[File: energy-usage-by-source.png|border|alt=Energy sources]]
+{{minor|Fossil fuels include [[coal]], [[oil]] and [[natural gas]].}}
-===Limits to other energy sources===
+===What about other energy sources?===
+{{minor|Main reasons why non-fossil-fuel energy sources aren't being scaled up:}}
-{| class='wikitable'
+{|class="wikitable" style="margin-top:0"
-!Energy source
+!<div style="text-align:left">Energy Source</div>
-!Limitations
+!<div style="text-align:left">Main Limitation</div>
 |-
-|[[Hydroelectricity]]
+|[[Hydro]]
-|Only viable in a few parts of the world
+|Geography
 |-
-|[[Geothermal]]
+|[[Nuclear]]
-|In most parts of the world, is only suited for [[heating]] and [[cooling]]
+|Needs uranium-235 which is too scarce*
 |-
 |[[Solar]]
-|1. Intermittant (not available at night)<br />2. Manufacturing is too resource-intensive
+|Too many rare metals needed*
 |-
 |[[Wind]]
-|1. Intermittant<br />2. Turbine construction is too resource-intensive<br />3. Requires a lot of space, usually far from where people live
+|Geography
 |-
-|[[Nuclear]]
+|[[Biofuel]]
-|Limited supply of uranium-235<br />+ Safety concerns
+|Causes [[deforestation]] and [[global hunger]]
 |-
-|[[Biomass waste]]
+|[[biomass waste|Waste]]
 |Limited supply
 |-
-|[[Biofuel]]
+|[[Geothermal]]
-|Limited supply<br />+ Competes with [[food]], contributing to hunger and deforestation
+|Geography - <small>in most parts of the world, it's only suited for [[heating]] & [[cooling]].</small>
 |}
+Solar and wind are also limited by [[energy storage]].*
-The intermittency problem of [[solar]] and [[wind]] could be solved with [[energy storage]], if the right innovations happen.
+<nowiki>*</nowiki>Limitations marked with an asterisk (*) are possible to overcome '''with the right innovations'''.
+For more details, read the wikipages of each energy source. Links are in the table above.
 ==Energy demand==
-[[File: energy-demand-status-quo.png|border|alt=Energy uses]]
+[[File:energy-demand-pie1.png|thumb|Pie chart of energy demand, based on countries where precise data is available.]]
+Since most energy consumption is bad for the planet, let's look at how it could be reduced - starting with the biggest pieces of the pie.
-But this is the ''status quo'', with most of the world currently living in poverty.
-Suppose every country was as "developed" as "western" countries: global energy demand would be more than double:
+{{mbox|Note: These actions are mostly directed at "first-world" countries, which use a disproportionately large amount of energy. In other parts of the world, consumption doesn't necessarily have to be reduced.}}
+{{minor|We could probably cut all energy consumption in '''half''', while barely losing any quality of life. It just requires some planning (both individually ''and'' as a society).}}
-[[File: energy-demand-if-first-world.png|border|alt=Energy demand if everyone lived a first-world lifestyle]]
+===Transportation===
+Some things that would help:
+* [[Walkability]] - <small>organizing neighborhoods so things are in optimal locations, so people don't have to drive as far as often.</small>
+* [[Public transit]] done right. <small>Yes, there are plenty of ways for it to be done wrong!</small>
+* Working from home - <small>only suited for ''some'' types of work, of course.</small>
+* [[Carpooling]] - <small>yes, this takes some effort and coordination.</small>
-Wondering where these numbers come from? Read [[energy demand scenarios]].
+===Homes & buildings===
+In buildings & homes, [[heating]] is the biggest piece of the pie (and [[cooling]] is the second-biggest). Energy-saving solutions haven't been added to this wiki ''yet''.{{rn}}
-===Can this demand (or at least, most of it) be met without fossil fuels?===
+A common misconception is that "saving energy" is all about turning off lights, turning off computers, etc. Those actions may be worthwhile but don't actually make a ''big'' difference. '''Other''' personal lifestyle choices do:
-Short answer: No.
+===Consumerism===
+More than a third of energy demand{{x|commercial vehicles + industrial/manufacturing + ''some'' commercial spaces}} is affected by '''what people buy''', and '''how much''' of it.
-Long answer: Not without [[energy supply scenarios|major technological breakthroughs]].
+To deal with this piece of the pie, we need:
+* [[Frugalism]] - i.e. '''buying less stuff!'''
+* Fighting against: [[business waste]], [[planned obsolescence]] and [[code bloat]].
+* Fighting '''for''' [[right to repair]].
+* [[Running new software on old computers]], perhaps? {{npn}}
-But there is good news: If we [[minimal consumption scenario|did things differently]], then
+==See also==
-* everyone on the planet could have a decent quality of life
+* [[Electric vehicles]]
-* energy consumption would be just a fraction of what it is today.
+* [[Labor]] {{light|- another factor that affects quality of life}}
-[[minimal consumption scenario|This is probably the most viable route to net-zero-carbon]].
+* [[Energy supply solutions summary]]