With dwindling supplies of fossil fuels like oil and coal, an energy crisis is looming.
Crude oil, the staple fuel driving transportation, food production and manufacturing industries, has long been regarded as 'black gold' for its huge economic value.
With many of the world's oilfields having reached their full capacity, governments around the world are scrambling to come up with alternative resources to keep their economies running.
With oil and gas distributed mostly in politically unstable regions like the Middle East, analysts have raised the prospect of rogue states using their energy resources for political gain.
Last year, Moscow halted supplies of natural gas to Ukraine over a price dispute. This caused temporary gas shortages in several European countries, including France and Germany, during a freezing winter. Accusing the Kremlin of 'blackmail', the United States and European nations expressed worries that Russia is using its energy resources to reassert its former glory.
China, the second-biggest oil consumer after the US, was accused of propping up corrupt African governments in exchange for their rich resources. With one eye on the continent's bountiful resources to drive its booming economy, China has provided no-strings-attached aid packages worth billions of dollars to African nations. The generous financial assistance was criticised by western countries. They said the mainland was undermining their efforts to root out endemic corruption and build up accountable governments in Africa.
Meanwhile, scientists and energy experts are racing against time to find alternative resources before the world's fossil fuel reserves run out.
