We have written a lot about renewable energy sources, but the world is still mainly powered by non renewable energy sources. The first problem with non renewable energy sources are not only that once they are depleted they are no more (although proven reserves of non renewable energy sources indicates that there is still more of it then the world can consume for a very long time, hence the current oversupply of oil.).

The second problem is that although there are plenty of known reserves some of them are costly to access, which can turn into a positive if renewable energy becomes cheaper as non renewable energy.

The third problem is environmental, the extraction of fossil fuels can damage the surrounding environment including, water pollution and extraction of water. When burning fossil fuels it can have an affect on the health of nearby populations and it is a major contributor to global warming. The main disadvantage for nuclear fuel is radio active waste, which needs to be managed very well. A major incident with a nuclear reactor can have negative effects for a wide area.

The economic cost of non renewable energy, might not be around currently, but future generations might suffer the consequences.

Some non renewable energy sources are

• Coal
• Oil
• Natural Gas
• Uranium, used for nuclear energy

Surprisingly a lot of people consider wood a non renewable resource, but most plantations are managed well and are replenished at a sufficient rate so that it is considered as a renewable and sustainable source of energy.