ABSTRACT
Carbon is a basic element of life on Earth. It is the most abundant element, one on which many life systems depend, and a primary source of energy. The phenomenon of high crude oil and gas prices coupled with the prevailing public and scientific debate about climate change have one thing in common: both center on carbon. Despite carbon abundance in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, there are limited resources of it in its useable form for fossil fuels. Excessive use of non-renewable, carbon-based fuels has caused excessive emissions of carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere. Carbon is accumulating in the wrong forms and in the wrong place. Historically, carbon naturally accumulated in the ground in great quantities over geologic timescales; now, this quantity is being transferred to the atmosphere in a comparatively short time period. Although progress has been achieved in developing and using cleaner energy technologies, the majority of current energy sources remain carbon-based.
