The Effects Of Carbon And On Fossil Fuels

To begin with, humans have been burning CO2 in many forms, such as coal, oil, and natural gas which has the result of releasing energy, but also releases CO2 back into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels is one of the main type of resources that is used everyday for products like medicines, cosmetics, plastics, synthetic fabrics, and lubricants. Also as fuel for cars and airplanes, power electricity plants, and heat our homes. Since it was discover, it has been used to make resources that would change our lives. In reality, we did not realize that by using too much of these resources, it would harm the planet in many ways. According to an article called “The Hidden Cost of Fossil Fuels,” they stated that:

Scientists say that the earth has existed for over 4.5 billion years (Sarfati, Jonathan). In fact, if we condensed the entire history of the earth into a 1 year period it would show that humans would only have existed in its final hour. Over these billions of years plant and animal remains have decayed from exposure to heat and pressure to form natural deposits of fossil fuels (Science Daily). There are 3 types of fossil fuels that we use today. Oil, coal, and natural gas make up the majority of our energy source. These resources have been developing in the earth’s crust for billions of years before humans came into existence. Without fossil fuels the world would not be where it is today. The purpose of this paper is to explain the fundamentals of each fossil fuel, the advantages and disadvantages of using fossil fuels as an energy source, and how they shape the world we live in today.

In today’s world, fossil fuels are the dominant source of energy being used by humans. The percentage use of this source of energy ranges from 80 to 90 percent. Fossil fuels can be used directly (e.g. gasoline) or to produce electricity. The top three fossil fuels that are used in the United States are coal, oil and gas. One of the problems with fossil fuels is that they are nonrenewable resources which means that they will run out. Other problems that come with it are direct pollution, air pollution and global warming. All fossil fuels have a different amount of supplies left on the earth, require different methods of being extracted from Earth and have various environmental consequences.

CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas, which mainly comes from the use of fossil fuels. Many people feel that content of CO2 in the atmosphere is the main reason for manmade global warming. The main sources of CO2 emissions involve electricity generation, industrial processes, fumes from transportation and commercial buildings and use. Emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, to the atmosphere are expected to cause even more of a significant change in global climate (Davison, 2007). The main focus to try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is to reduce the amount that is released from coal-fired power plants. Greenhouse gas emissions that involve the productions of electricity come from natural gas production and coal-fired power plant operations. Natural gas production accounts for twenty-four percent and coal-fired power plant operations accounts for seventy-five percent, while the other one percent is caused by other electricity generation operations. The main reason why coal-fired power plants have a higher percentage of emissions is because the sulfur content of coal is much higher than that of other fossil fuels (Jarmaillo et al., 2007). This proves that there is a great need to find an alternative fossil fuel to use instead of coal. Although coal is easy to mine, transport and process for the electricity generation process, it is also the

In today’s society fossil fuels are the primary source of energy for most of the industrialized world. Utilizing fossil fuels has been very important to the industrialization development throughout the world. Industrialization in many parts of the world, energy has been needed at a much higher density then before and fossil fuels have fulfilled that need. Coal, gas, and oil are the three major sources of fossil fuels in the world. Despite other means of energy such as wind power, hydroelectric power etc., fossil fuels are still the main source of energy across the continent. Fossils fuels are critical to the function of society. “Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) are the dominant source of energy today and will be for decades to come.” (Everett, B. October).

Fossil fuels are essential to life on earth as we know it today. Our world would certainly be much different if it weren’t for such seemingly simple things such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These basic elements of life on earth may not seem like a major concern to some people until we put into perspective how they have shaped our world today. Civilizations have been built, economies have risen and crumbled, and even wars have been fought over these precious fossil fuels. However, these fossil fuels serve us in ways we may never truly appreciate, as long as we use them as recklessly as we do now. The major entity about fossil fuels is concerning their longevity and permanence in our world, and we all know, they will be around forever.

The most of global energy production produces from fossil fuel such as coal, oil and natural gas. The vast fossil fuels generate energy which use for many purposes for instant residential, transportation and industrial sectors. While the rate consumption of fossil fuel higher than their formation leads to oil price crisis. Another concern of fossil fuel combustion is the impact on the environment. Global warming is a significant problem which results in increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. These problems drive researchers and societies to search alternative energy such as switching to renewable energy or carbon-free energy to replace fossil fuels. For example Nakata et al., (2011:465) show ‘low-carbon society’

As of today, eighty-one percent of the United States energy demand is supplied by fossil fuels. Fossil Fuels, like petroleum (oil) and coal, are organic compounds found in the Earth’s crust. They are created from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago and are used in the form of concentrated biomass. Coal was the first widespread fuel, but eventually alternative ways of making energy without the pollution to the Earth’s atmosphere and surface were found. One of the most influential alternatives is nuclear energy. Believe it or not, one lb of nuclear fuel-enriched uranium contains the amount of energy found in 1,500 tons of coal!

The process of burning fossil fuels by human activity cause the greatest amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitro oxide in the earth’s atmosphere, raising global temperature. Fossil fuels are non-renewable natural resources that formed millions of years ago when the prehistoric remains of plants and animals were progressively buried under layers of rock (Fossil). Fossil fuels power our essentials like motor vehicles and heater at homes, which produce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gasses (GHGs) pose a serious threat to the environment through acting as a catalyst for substantial climate change. Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a specific greenhouse gas, is the one that is the most prominent in our atmosphere; this being the case it is also causing the most damage. Carbon dioxide is emitted primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. These fossil fuels are burned in power plants and create large amounts of emissions that are not ideal for the environment. When faced with a problem similar to this one, it is only rational to think that a particular solution should be implemented. In this case, the solution is a “carbon tax”. These carbon taxes would be directed towards the sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, British Columbia, Canada enacted a carbon tax, it has some strengths and weaknesses, the due has an effect on the economy, it also needs to be at a certain rate, it has been successful and unsuccessful, the tax is also has aspects of being revenue neutral and revenue recycling.

The first use of any form of fuel was nearly two million years ago thanks to the curiosity of Homo erectus. Since then fuel has become significantly more advanced, starting from ordinary wood to what is now comprised of numerous chemicals and life threatening processes to obtain liquid and gaseous fuels. These fuels are used to warm our homes, generate electricity, and even transport us from one end of the globe the other. The most commonly used fuels are charcoal, natural gases, and LPG. Most of the fuels we use today are problematic for future generations as they are non-renewable, and produce harmful chemicals that will traumatize the environment. Though no fuel is without it 's cons, the following data should suffice in explaining the benefits of alternative fuel 's such as Ethanol, Biodiesel, Hydrogen, Methanol and even sources that are always readily available such as solar, hydro, and wind. Today coal is one of the most utilized fuel sources, especially within the U.S. which comprises of 39% of U.S. 's electrical generation. Though its abundance and conversion to kWh 's makes it a potent supplier, trapped within coal are impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen that turn into pollutants once oxidized. Because of the hazards from burning coal the use of it as a fuel source has declined since its extensive use during the 1800 's. Oil is now the world 's number one transportation fuel source, and though it is not a significantly cleaner fossil fuel, it does produce less

Energy consumption is universal to all, in spite of the location in the world. Different countries and people consume different amounts of energy at any given time. Energy consumption ranges from small-scale to large-scale uses for different purposes. However, what is common to all despite the amount used is the impact of the consumption that cuts across every region. Among the most fundamental sources of energy used on regular basis, include oil, natural gas, and coal, which are fossil fuels. The generation of energy from fossil fuels requires combustion to take place, which, as a resultant, causes pollution to the atmosphere. An increase in the pollutants in the atmosphere causes environmental issues in the specific locale and the globe on a larger scale. The main pollutant to the environment due to fossil fuel combustion is the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Climate change is accelerated by the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; there have been efforts from around the world by governments to reduce the emission of this greenhouse gas. Some measures put in place has reduced the emission of the said gas, however, some are yet to yield the desired result. Different countries consume different amounts of energy, and therefore, the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment varies greatly from one country to another.

One of many points is burning of fossil fuels results in a tremendous emission of green house gases in the atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution in 19th, the demand of fossil fuels increase sharply. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy neediness for transportation, electricity generation and household heating. According to the IPCC’s reports, burning of fuels (world wide) produces around 21.3 billion tons (21.3 gigatons) of carbon dioxide every year. Though part of the carbon dioxide exited in the human life circle would be absorbed naturally, the remainder gets caught up in the atmosphere and contributes to global greenhouse gas warming.

The first use of fossil energy was in the form of coal which was used to generate electricity for factories and cities. Slowly, mankind evolved and created vehicles using fuel to power the first automobiles. Geologist worked together with companies in search of fuel to begin the age of automobiles as a form of transportation. It was then that the drilling and burning of fossil fuels began. Since the Industrial Era companies, geologists, and scientists continue the drilling and extraction of fossil fuel around the world. However, even though mankind has realized that fossil fuels hurt the environment and atmosphere they focus on the economic and political gain. The Energy Information Administration calculated that in 2007 the primary sources of energy was based on thirty-six percent of petroleum, twenty-seven was on coal, twenty-three percent on natural gas, which calculated to eighty-six percent for fossil fuels in primary energy consumption in the world during that year.

The world currently functions through the use of fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels possess two significant disadvantages. Fossil fuels harm the global environment because they enhance the greenhouse effect by releasing carbon dioxide, and they release other harmful