Fossil fuel
A fossil fuel
In 2022, over 80% of
Recognition of the
International policy, in the form of United Nations sustainable development goals for
Origin
The theory that fossil fuels formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants by exposure to heat and pressure in Earth's crust over millions of years was first introduced by Andreas Libavius "in his 1597 Alchemia [Alchymia]" and later by Mikhail Lomonosov "as early as 1757 and certainly by 1763".[21] The first use of the term "fossil fuel" occurs in the work of the German chemist Caspar Neumann, in English translation in 1759.[22] The Oxford English Dictionary notes that in the phrase "fossil fuel" the adjective "fossil" means "[o]btained by digging; found buried in the earth", which dates to at least 1652,[23] before the English noun "fossil" came to refer primarily to long-dead organisms in the early 18th century.[24]
Aquatic
Importance
Fossil fuels have been important to human development because they can be readily burned in the open atmosphere to produce heat. The use of
Commercial exploitation of petroleum began in the 19th century.[31]
Natural gas, once flared-off as an unneeded byproduct of petroleum production, is now considered a very valuable resource.[32] Natural gas deposits are also the main source of helium.
Prior to the latter half of the 18th century,
The energy for the
Environmental effects
The burning of fossil fuels has a number of negative
Climate change is largely driven by the release of greenhouse gases like CO2, and the burning of fossil fuels is the main source of these emissions. In most parts of the world climate change is
Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulfuric and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment. Monuments and sculptures made from marble and limestone are particularly vulnerable, as the acids dissolve calcium carbonate.
Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly
Burning coal also generates large amounts of
In addition to the effects that result from burning, the harvesting, processing, and distribution of fossil fuels also have environmental effects. Coal mining methods, particularly
A variety of mitigating efforts have arisen to counter the negative effects of fossil fuels. This includes a movement to use alternative energy sources, such as
In December 2020, the United Nations released a report saying that despite the need to reduce greenhouse emissions, various governments are "
Illness and deaths
Environmental pollution from fossil fuels impacts humans because particulates and other air pollution from fossil fuel combustion cause illness and death when inhaled. These health effects include premature death, acute respiratory illness, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis and decreased lung function. The poor, undernourished, very young and very old, and people with preexisting respiratory disease and other ill health are more at risk.[54] Global air pollution deaths due to fossil fuels have been estimated at over 8 million people (2018, nearly 1 in 5 deaths worldwide)[55] at 10.2 million (2019),[56] and 5.13 million excess deaths from ambient air pollution from fossil fuel use (2023).[57]
While all energy sources inherently have adverse effects, the data show that fossil fuels cause the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions and are the most dangerous for human health. In contrast, modern renewable energy sources appear to be safer for human health and cleaner. The death rates from accidents and air pollution in the EU are as follows per
Energy source | Nos. of deaths per TWh |
Greenhouse gas emissions (thousand tonnes/TWh) |
---|---|---|
Coal | 24.6 | 820 |
Oil | 18.4 | 720 |
Natural gas | 2.8 | 490 |
Biomass | 4.6 | 78–230 |
Hydropower | 0.02 | 34 |
Nuclear energy | 0.07 | 3 |
Wind | 0.04 | 4 |
Solar | 0.02 | 5 |
[58] As the data shows, coal, oil, natural gas, and biomass cause higher death rates and higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than hydropower, nuclear energy, wind, and solar power. Scientists propose that 1.8 million lives have been saved by replacing fossil fuel sources with nuclear power.[59]
Phase-out
Just transition
Divestment
Fossil fuel divestment campaigns emerged on college and university campuses in the United States in 2011 with students urging their administrations to turn endowment investments in the fossil fuel industry into investments in clean energy and communities most impacted by climate change.[65] In 2012, Unity College in Maine became the first institution of higher learning to divest[66] its endowment from fossil fuels.
By 2015, fossil fuel divestment was reportedly the fastest growingIndustrial sector
In 2019, Saudi Aramco was listed and it reached a US$2 trillion valuation on its second day of trading,[69] after the world's largest initial public offering.[70]
Economic effects
Air pollution from fossil fuels in 2018 has been estimated to cost US$2.9 trillion, or 3.3% of the global gross domestic product (GDP).[10]
Subsidies
Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies would reduce the
Lobbying activities
The
Lobbies are active in most fossil-fuel intensive economies with democratic governance, with reporting on the lobbies most prominent in Canada, Australia, the United States and Europe, however the lobbies are present in many parts of the world.
See also
- Abiogenic petroleum origin – a proposal that petroleum is not a fossil fuel
- Bioremediation
- Carbon bubble
- Eco-economic decoupling
- Environmental impact of the energy industry
- Fossil Fools Day
- Fossil Fuel Beta
- Hydraulic fracturing
- Liquefied petroleum gas
- Low-carbon power
- Peak coal
- Peak gas
- Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles
- Shale gas
Notes
- fossils, but from organic matter.[1]
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Further reading
- Barrett, Ross; Worden, Daniel (eds.), Oil Culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2014.
- Bob Johnson, Carbon Nation: Fossil Fuels in the Making of American Culture. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2014.
External links
- Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker Archived 10 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air