In the last thirty years, the industrialized nations of Europe and North America have made an effort to move away from the use of fossil fuels as a way of reducing pollution and slowing or even stopping climate change. At the same time, fossil fuels remain vital to their economies and standards of living. Controversies surround the use fossil fuels today and the role they will play in the future.

Should the world stop using fossil fuels? -- Is fracking a good way of producing fossil fuels? -- Do fossil fuels threaten the environment? -- Are fossil fuels economical?.