The world, and especially the US, is going to encounter an energy shortage in the next 30 years. The oil supply is steady now, but it is estimated that with our current rate of extraction, that supply will be nil in 25 years. Coal reserves can stretch out for 5 years beyond that, and then our fossil fuels are gone. As of 1998, 89% of the energy of the world was produced from fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources are less efficient, such as nuclear energy. Future energy sources need to be developed. Fusion would be an excellent development, since power output is almost 10 times the power input. The US has completely stepped out of the research and development of fusion power, hoping that Russia/Japan/Canada will develop the technology and license it to the world.