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What is going to happen when we run out of fossil fuel? While this may not happen tomorrow, next year, or in the next decade, it is on the horizon. The energy crisis is not something that we can just talk about doing, we need to actually find ways to stop depleting our resources, polluting our planet, and we need to do something about now.

We need to concentrate our efforts on finding solutions rather than trying to pin the blame on something or someone. Truthfully, many countries around the world are trying to do something about it, but we still need to do more. If we would just stop fighting among ourselves and start acting more productively, we could find several ways to solve the energy crisis.

For example, let’s look for a moment at the crisis in Haiti. This small nation has been recently devastated by massive earthquakes, pretty much leveling the whole island. Because of this crisis, countries all over the world are stepping in, providing much needed supplies, manpower, and money to help them recover. While this is the most recent incident, there are many times when nations come together when a major disaster happens.

There is another major disaster occurring all over the world, so what about it? This disaster is one of our own making and is not due to any natural event. If we all worked together to overcome this disaster and solve the crisis the same way we do in other times of crisis, it would be easy to solve the problem. We might be able to slow down or even stop many of the effects of global warming.

We can do a number of things to put the brakes on the world energy crisis. Renewable sources of energy, including solar, wind, geothermal and others, are abundant. We’ve proved that there are many ways to safely and efficiently power vehicles without using fossil fuels. These methods include hydrogen fuels cells, electricity and even compressed air. Biodiesel is much more than feasible; it has been used to power vehicles for more than a century.

People in various countries are, to be truthful, trying. India, for example, is turning human waste into fuel for electrical plants. Solar and wind farms are appearing throughout the world.

Even individual people are trying to do their part. Recycling has become more prominent. The use of residential renewable energy, like wind and solar are being put in wider usage. We are conserving energy by cutting down on water usage, turning lights and appliances off by unplugging them instead of just turning them off. People are buying more energy efficient appliances, like tankless hot water heaters. Many are also switching from regular light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights instead.

The question is, is this enough? Not at the moment. However, if the cost of vehicles that run on alternative fuels were to come down, if every household switched over to renewable energy, if recycling became mandatory around the globe, this would be a good start. If more money was spent on researching and developing alternative forms of power, and implementing the ones we already have on a larger scale, yes, we could solve the world’s energy crisis.

About the author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Texas Energy business for the past 7 years. Get more information on Texas Power rates.