Depletion of Fossil Fuels(礦物燃料的耗竭）

A number of(許多） scientists are emphasizing（強(qiáng)調(diào)） the tremendous challenges that will soon be faced when the depletion of fossil fuel supplies coincides with an alarming increase in the global population.（當(dāng)化石燃料供應(yīng)的枯竭與全球人口的驚人增長同時發(fā)生時，將很快面臨巨大的挑戰(zhàn)窖梁。）

They highlight agriculture which is heavily dependent not only on gasoline to fuel machinery, but also on the petrochemicals(石油化工產(chǎn)品） necessary to manufacture（制造） synthetic fertilizers（化學(xué)肥料） and pesticides.(他們強(qiáng)調(diào)赘风，農(nóng)業(yè)不僅嚴(yán)重依賴汽油作為機(jī)械燃料，而且嚴(yán)重依賴制造合成肥料和殺蟲劑所必需的石化產(chǎn)品)

Without these petrochemicals, crop yields(糧食產(chǎn)量） would be only a fraction of （一小部分）what they are today. To assume(假定） that an abundant source of renewable（可再生） energy will address（應(yīng)對） this challenge is to ignore that vital non-fuel uses of petrochemicals.石油化工產(chǎn)品的重要非燃料用途

Then there is the challenge posed to the current levels of mobility此外纵刘，目前的流動性水平也面臨挑戰(zhàn). As a fuel, gasoline is unrivalled（無與倫比的） in its portability（便攜性）.Electricity requires bulky(笨重的） batteries and hydrogen is notoriously difficult to store.（氫儲存是出了名的困難）Biofuels might seem like an alternative, but the energy consumed（消耗） when converting corn into bioethanol(生物乙醇）, for instance, greatly exceeds the output(大大超過產(chǎn)量） when the fuel is utilized(利用).? In any case(無論如何）, once we reach a crisis in the food supply（我們一旦糧食供應(yīng)出現(xiàn)危機(jī)）, it will not make sense to divert food crops to other users.

Although there seems to be a widespread belief that the era of oil dependency(石油依賴時代） is coming to an end due to some technological remedy, this may be mistaken. Relying on such an assumption(假設(shè)） can lead to complacency（自滿） and a failure to take precautions（預(yù)防措施）. Experts may not be able to come up with the kind of solution that can lead to（實現(xiàn)） a pain-free transition（過渡). Scientists warn that relying on alternative resources might only support half of the global population. The absence of a realistic alternative to fossil fuels will mean that the first priority will be to curb(控制） the demand for food.缺乏一種切實可行的化石燃料替代品將意味著邀窃，首要任務(wù)將是抑制對糧食的需求。