One hundred and fyfty years of combustion of fossil hydrocarbons: the emergent alternatives

After one hundred fifty years of drilling first commercial petroleum wells that led to the intensive use of liquid fuels to move transport vehicles, we are arriving at the peak of the world-wide petroleum reserves. Yet, we still have a good portion for spending, with the hope that the consequences will be better than in the first part, which has implied several wars and deteriorations of the environment. This assay brings a review about the history of fossil fuels and with the prospective of the emergent energetic alternatives, placing emphasis on bioenergy as an alternative for the transition between the actual combustion age and the new age of clean energy. PACS: 89.30.A-, 88.20.D-, 88.20.Yq