Brands are obsessed with appearing cool; therefore, they capture and mine youth

part of its production process needs to be 
inexpensive, too.
While it is difficult to locate and extract fossil 
fuels, the total process – from finding a source to 
refining the raw product – is actually cheap 
compared to other “green” energy resources.
Energy from the sun or wind is limitless, but the 
process and materials required to utilize solar or 
wind power are not only complicated but also 
expensive. Such energy sources are also 
unreliable, as we can’t control when the skies 
will be clear or when the winds will blow.
All in all, fossil fuels are immensely beneficial to 
human life. They’re good for us and support our 
society, so the benefits we gain from them 
should outweigh any other concerns.
We’ll soon be able to mitigate most of the 
risks and side effects of using fossil fuels.
Despite the benefits, it’s true that using fossil 
fuels comes with risks and potential side effects.
But does this mean we shouldn’t use them at 
all? Certainly not.
Throughout history, people have worked to solve 
problems with whatever resources were at hand. 
Why can’t we do this now with regard to fossil 
fuel use?
During the Industrial Revolution, London’s coal-
induced smog was worse than the polluted skies 
over Beijing today. Yet Thomas Edison’s 
invention of electric power generation and 
distribution in 1882 solved this problem by 
replacing the use of coal in homes with 
electricity.
Before this, coal was the main fuel, and its 
benefits far outweighed its costs. And many 
years later, the same still holds true.
There’s a lesson to be learned: as a society, we 
should use whatever the most progressive form 
of energy is at the time, even if it comes with 
risks. And right now, this means fossil fuels.
And while fossil fuels do have their risks, using 
them might not be as dangerous as you think.
For example, many people are concerned about 
the use of hydrofluoric acid, which is a key 
material in certain kinds of oil drilling. This acid is 
so powerful that it can melt bones!
Yet risks can always be mitigated, however. We 
can avoid using such dangerous chemicals by 
finding new methods for drilling, such as 
fracking. We can also implement strict safety 
procedures for people who do have to deal with 
dangerous substances.
The use of nuclear power, once the most feared 
energy source, has never actually caused a 
single death. In fact, the type of uranium used in 
nuclear power plants is not even physically able 
to explode – so fears of a nuclear meltdown at 
plants have been completely unjustified.
The same is true of fossil fuels, in that critics 
tend to exaggerate the risks.