Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies.

Now that manual labor can be done in developing countries for $2 a day, skills and education have become more essential than ever.

Such risks aside, access to a computer is becoming essential at many campuses.

By the end of the 1996 season, the new route was a huge success, with vehicle reservations becoming essential.

Suddenly, collecting the ransom from the Russian government had become essential.

They had become essential to the development of New York.

A speedy ride to the country and a rapid return trip had become essential.

A European directive against gender violence is therefore becoming essential.

An action plan is therefore becoming essential if we are to close that gap.

Wireless Internet access, though of more recent vintage, is becoming no less essential.