Fossil Fuels, Carbon & Emissions

Nearly 80% of the energy used in the world is from fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil), but burning them inevitably produces carbon dioxide gas (CO2), which is associated with climate change.

Coal, oil and gas are called fossil fuels because they form over millions of years through decay, burial and compaction of rotting vegetation on land (coal), and marine organisms on the sea floor (oil and gas).  Burning fossil fuels in this way releases large quantities of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which can cause acid rain.

Coal is a solid fuel formed over millions of years by the decay of land vegetation.  Over time, layers become buried, compacted and heated, a process through which the deposits are turned into coal.  Coal is widely used in the generation of electricity because it is a highly concentrated energy source.  However, it is not a particularly “clean” fuel.  Coal was the first fossil fuel to be exploited on a large scale during the nineteenth century with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.  Before the commercial introduction of electricity, coal was primarily used in industrial boilers to create steam energy to power machinery.

Oil is formed from the remains of marine micro-organisms deposited on the sea floor.  As they accumulate over millions of years they gradually infiltrate the microscopic cavities of the sea floor sediment and rock where they decay.  The resulting oil remains trapped in these spaces, forming oil reserves which can be extracted through large drilling platforms.  The use of oil increased significantly after World War II.  Improved energy efficiency has caused oil consumption to decline in many developed, industrialised countries, as well as shifts to other fuels such as natural gas and nuclear energy.  Decreasing use of oil is also resulting from tougher environmental restrictions concerning its use in some regions.

Natural gas is formed in the same way as oil, from the remains of marine micro-organisms.  From the mid-1960 up until the present day there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of proven reserves of natural gas.  Consequently, natural gas has become the fastest growing energy resource.  Natural gas provides an alternative to oil or coal in the provision of energy and in the terms of acidic pollution, is a clean fuel.

The main disadvantage of fossil fuels is pollution.  Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the Greenhouse Effect, warming the Earth.  Burning coal produces more carbon dioxide than burning oil or gas and it also produces sulphur dioxide which is a gas that contributes to acid rain.

Fossil fuels take millions of years to make.  We are using up the fuels that were made more than 300 million years ago, before the time of the dinosaurs.  Once they are gone, they are gone. 

They are not renewable. 

We can save fossil fuels by conserving energy.