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Fossil fuels (view source)

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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.'''<br />
For the same amount of [[energy]],
<small>And it's unlikely that [[carbon capture and storage]] would ever be able to store that much CO<sub>2</sub> in the ground.</small>
* coal releases about twice as much CO<sub>2</sub> as natural gas
<div style="clear:both"></div>
* oil is somewhere in between.
 
<tab name="See exact numbers" collapsed>
These numbers might be needed for physics or engineering.
{{minor|[[Greenhouse gas]] emissions (CO<sub>2eq</sub>) per unit of energy, for each fuel.}}
 
{{dp
|<nowiki>coal.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>95.35 kg / million btu</nowiki>
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning coal</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>gasoline.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>71.30 kg / million btu</nowiki>
|<nowiki>CO2 emissions of burning gasoline</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>natural_gas.ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>53.07 kg / million btu</nowiki>
|<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>
</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg</nowiki>
|<nowiki>176.1 million tonnes / year</nowiki>
|<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>
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2014</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
2016 Complete Report (PDF)</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Using data from 2014</nowiki>
}}
{{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>
Datapoint was found on page 115, from pie chart and line graph, using data from 2014</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>usa.natural_gas.fugitive_ghg / usa.natural_gas.energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Fugitive emissions (CO2eq) of natural gas, per unit energy</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Average based on US datapoints.</nowiki>
}}
 
{{calc
|coal.ghg_by_energy
|kg / million btu
|
|Coal:
}}
 
{{calc
|gasoline.ghg_by_energy
|kg / million btu
|
|Oil (gasoline is the most popular fuel obtained from crude oil):
}}
 
{{calc
|natural_gas.ghg_by_energy + natural_gas.fugitive_ghg_by_energy
|kg / million btu
|
|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:
}}
</tab>


===Other pollution===
===Other pollution===
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Mitigation
Mitigation
* Cars and trucks already have catalytic converters that eliminate some of this pollution - but not all of it.
* Cars and trucks already have catalytic converters that eliminate some of this pollution - but not all of it.
* For coal power plants, [[clean coal|newer technologies]] could avoid most of this pollution (but still not the CO<sub>2</sub> that causes climate change).
* For coal power plants, [[clean coal|newer technologies]] could avoid most of this pollution (but not the CO<sub>2</sub> that causes climate change).


===Scarcity===
===Scarcity===
{{basically|Eventual problem}}
{{basically|Eventual problem}}
Oil reserves are [[peak oil|expected to run out]] in less than a century, by most estimates.{{qn}} Coal and natural gas are similar.
Oil reserves are [[peak oil|expected to run out]] in less than a century, by most estimates. Coal and natural gas are similar. {{qn}}
Fossil fuels are not considered renewable{{x|despite being fossilized organic matter that was originally dead plants & animals}}, because existing oil reserves took millions of years to form.
Fossil fuels are not considered renewable{{x|despite being fossilized organic matter that was originally dead plants & animals}}, because existing oil reserves took millions of years to form.


Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.reserves|(tonnes per capita)(world.population)}}. Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person {{ecalc|oil.production|(lbs/day per capita)(world.population)}}. Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.
{{dp
|<nowiki>oil.reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>1732 billion barrels oil</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Global petroleum reserves</nowiki>
|<nowiki>"Global proved oil reserves were 1732 billion barrels at the end of 2020 , down 2 billion barrels versus ‎‎2019. The global R/P ratio shows that oil reserves in 2020 accounted for over 50 years of current ‎production. OPEC holds 70.2% of global reserves."</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Oil | Energy economics | Home - BP</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
www.bp.com › energy-economics › statistical-review-of-world-energy › oil </nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>oil.production</nowiki>
|<nowiki>4439 megatonnes/year</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Crude oil production, worldwide</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Using data from 2019.</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Source: Key World Energy Statistics 2020 (IEA report)</nowiki>
}}
{{dp
|<nowiki>world.population</nowiki>
|<nowiki>8 billion</nowiki>
|<nowiki>Number of people alive today, globally</nowiki>
|<nowiki>https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard</nowiki><br /><nowiki>
Last updated in 2023</nowiki>
}}
Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth {{p|{{calc|oil.reserves|(tonnes per capita)(world.population)}} }}. Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person {{p|{{calc|oil.production|(kg/day per capita)(world.population)}} }}. Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.




==Non-energy usage==
==Non-energy usage==
Fossil fuels are also used in making [[plastic]], most of which is [[packaging|disposable]]. Other uses include making thousands of different chemicals, but together they add up to only a small fraction of fossil fuel consumption. {{qn}}
* Fossil fuels are also used in making [[plastic]], most of which is [[packaging|disposable]].
* Other uses include making thousands of different chemicals. This together adds up to only a small fraction of fossil fuel consumption, and does not contribute significantly to climate change. {{qn}}
<!-- TODO: elaborate and split into subsections "plastic" and "other" -->
<!-- TODO: elaborate and split into subsections "plastic" and "other" -->


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Fossil fuels can also be used to make [[hydrogen gas]].
Fossil fuels can also be used to make [[hydrogen gas]].
==Origins==
Coal and oil are formed from organic material (mostly plants, sometimes dead animals) that got buried in the Earth millions of years ago.
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