1.3. Prospects for the Future Energy Supply
As seen in the foregoing sections, oil, natural gas, and coal will remain the most important primary energy sources for the long term. While there is currently little restriction on the availability of energy sources, in light of the importance of oil and natural gas as raw materials for the chemical industry, their use for energy should be decreased as soon as possible.
The exploitation of oil shales and oil sands will not significantly affect the situation in the long term. The substitution of oil and natural gas by other energy sources is the most prudent solution to this dilemma. By these means, the valuable fossil materials will be retained as far as possible for processing by the chemical industry.