Authored by Ross Pomeroy via RealClearEnergy,
The long story of human energy use revolves around two letters: H and C. These letters represent a pair of elements: hydrogen and carbon. Bonded together, they form hydrocarbons. Dating back to antiquity, this is what humanity has burned to unlock the energy that has allowed our species to thrive. Wood heated our shelters and cooked our foods. Coal fueled our power plants to electrify much of civilization. Oil provided an energy-dense fuel to move us rapidly from place to place. Cheap natural gas heats modern homes and is now replacing coal in power plants.
Over time, humanity has transitioned from hydrocarbons with a high proportion of carbon to ones with more hydrogen – truly "decarbonization." Wood is roughly 10 Cs to 1 H. Coal is 1 to 1. Oil is 1 to 2. Natural gas is 1 to 4. The beauty of this evolution is that our energy sources have grown much, much cleaner over time. When burned, hydrogen transforms into water vapor and heat. The more hydrogen utilized in our energy mix, the better life is for living things on Earth.
Read full text: https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/energy-transition-we-really-should-be-focusing