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| ===Climate change=== | | ===Climate change=== |
| {{basically|Major problem|bad}} | | {{basically|Major problem|bad}} |
| Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.
| | [[File:fossil-fuels-ghg-by-energy.png|thumb|For the same amount of [[energy]], coal emits more carbon than oil, and oil emits more carbon than natural gas.]] |
| <!-- Over 75% of all [[climate change|greenhouse gas emissions]] are due to burning fossil fuels. -->
| | [[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png|thumb|left|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]] |
| | | '''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.''' |
| For the same amount of [[energy]], | |
| * coal releases about twice as much CO<sub>2</sub> as natural gas
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| * oil is somewhere in between.
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| | |
| <tab name="See exact numbers" collapsed>
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| These numbers might be needed for physics or engineering.
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| {{minor|[[Greenhouse gas]] emissions (CO<sub>2eq</sub>) per unit of energy, for each fuel.}}
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| | |
| {{dp
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| |<nowiki>coal.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>95.35 kg / million btu</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning coal</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
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| }}
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| {{dp
| |
| |<nowiki>gasoline.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>71.30 kg / million btu</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
| |
| }}
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| {{dp
| |
| |<nowiki>natural_gas.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>53.07 kg / million btu</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning natural gas</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>Does not include the fugitive methane emissions from unburned fuel. Those vary by how the gas is burned.</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| </nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
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| }}
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| {{dp
| |
| |<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>176.1 million tonnes / year</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>Greenhouse gas CO2eq of fugitive methane leaks from all natural gas infrastructure in the USA</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
| |
| Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| 2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| Using data from 2014</nowiki>
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| }}
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| {{dp
| |
| |<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>27.9 quadrillion btu / year</nowiki> | |
| |<nowiki>U.S. energy consumption from natural gas combustion only</nowiki> | |
| |<nowiki>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</nowiki><br /><nowiki> | |
| Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
| |
| https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
| |
| 2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
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| Datapoint was found on page 115, from pie chart and line graph, using data from 2014</nowiki>
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| }}
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| {{dp
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| |<nowiki>natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg / usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki>
| |
| |<nowiki>Fugitive emissions (CO2eq) of natural gas, per unit energy</nowiki>
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| |<nowiki>Average based on US datapoints.</nowiki>
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| }}
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| | |
| {{calc
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| |coal.ghg_by_energy
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| |kg / million btu
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| |
| |
| |Coal:
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| }}
| |
| | |
| {{calc
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| |gasoline.ghg_by_energy
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| |kg / million btu
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| |
| |
| |Oil (gasoline is the most popular fuel obtained from crude oil):
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| }}
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| | |
| {{calc
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| |natural_gas.ghg_by_energy + natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy
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| |kg / million btu
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| |
| |
| |Natural gas, which also has ''fugitive emissions''{{x|Natural gas is mostly methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) which is ''also'' a [[greenhouse gas]]. So when any unburned fuel leaks into the atmosphere (gas leaks), it also contributes to climate change too.}} taken into account here:
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| }}
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| </tab>
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| ===Other pollution=== | | ===Other pollution=== |