Energy Resources Most of energy we use today comes from fossil fuels (remains of past plants), which are nonrenewable resources. Since WWII, petroleum has become the dominant energy source Most of the petroleum supplies are found in the OPEC countries, with Saudi Arabia being the largest supplier of crude petroleum Petroleum is a traded commodity so its price is dependent on speculation. At the current rate, petroleum will be inaccessible by 2049

The second most used energy resource is coal. The world coal deposits were formed from the buried plant material of the Permian swamps. The largest coal deposit is found in the United States with Russia having the second most coal deposit. There is both clean and dirty coal. Most of the coal used in the US is clean coal. At current consumption rates, coal should last until 2056.

The production of natural gas has increased greatly over the last few years due to the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) Nine out of ten natural gas wells use fracking processes. Natural gas is the fossil fuel which has the least impact on the environment. At current consumption rates the US has 100 years left of natural gas

There are various types of alternative energy. Most of the alternative energies are renewable (solar, hydrothermal, geothermal, biomass and wind), while nuclear power is not. There are pros and cons to each type of alternative energy.