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
* oil is somewhere in between.
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These numbers might be needed for physics or engineering.
{{minor|[[Greenhouse gas]] emissions (CO<sub>2eq</sub>) per unit of energy, for each fuel.}}
|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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===Other pollution===
===Other pollution===
Revision as of 23:58, 31 July 2023
Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for energy. They currently provide over 80% of the world's energy, but at a heavy environmental cost.
Terminology
Natural gas is sometimes referred to as just gas. Not to be confused with gasoline.
Crude oil is also known as petroleum, and it can be refined into oil products such as gasoline and diesel.
Usage as an energy source
Climate change
Major problem
Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change, due to the CO2 it releases into the atmosphere.
Other pollution
Sometimes manageable
Burning fossil fuels releases more than just CO2.
Exhaust from cars and trucks
Exhaust from coal power plants
These contain particles that are harmful to people and ecosystems.[ELABORATION needed]
Mitigation
Cars and trucks already have catalytic converters that eliminate some of this pollution - but not all of it.
For coal power plants, newer technologies could avoid most of this pollution (but still not the CO2 that causes climate change).
Scarcity
Eventual problem
Oil reserves are expected to run out in less than a century, by most estimates.[QUANTIFICATION needed] Coal and natural gas are similar.
Fossil fuels are not considered renewable(...)( 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. oil.reserves(tonnes per capita)(world.population). Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person oil.production(lbs/day per capita)(world.population). Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.
Non-energy usage
Fossil fuels are also used in making plastic, most of which is disposable. Other uses include making thousands of different chemicals, but together they add up to only a small fraction of fossil fuel consumption. [QUANTIFICATION needed]