The most common fossil fuels we are using are oil, coal and natural gas. We started using them in earnest about 125 years ago, when combustion engines were invented. Of course, it started small and gradually increased, and today we are burning more fossil fuels than ever.

Estimates range widely on how much we have left. Some experts say there is only a 30 year supply of oil left. Others peg it at about 100 years. For the sake of making this simple, let’s say we have only used up half of all the fossil fuels in the world by now, and to make it even simpler, let’s say that our use is the same daily, from 125 years ago to 125 years in the future.

This would mean that mankind is using up all of coal, gas and oil on earth over a 250 year span.

It took nature to create this fossil fuel 450 million years. 250 years has 91,250 days.

Roughly every day we are using up as much fuel as it took nature 5,000 years to create.  5,000 years ago is about the time the pyramids were built. All the composting of wood and all other organic matter since then has made enough oil for a single day’s use.

I am writing this in the cabin of a jet plane on my way to an important meeting.