The Pros And Cons Of Fossil Fuels

Energy is a daily necessity we take advantage of without fully understanding the consequences of creating it. The electrical energy that we use as consumers comes from power plants that then convert other types of energy to electricity. The most common way this is done is from burning fossil fuels. The only benefits to this method is the low cost and the growing demand for oil, natural gas heating, and other products refined from fossil fuels. The repercussions of this cheap practice is the environmental and physical harm caused by the fumes and other byproducts of using fossil fuels. One main set back of this method is that people may not continue using it forever. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources that have come from millions or years

Fossil fuels are comprised of: Coal, Natural Gas, and Oil. While coal is a huge product used they way it is, Oil can be used in its crude state or refined into other forms of energy. Gasoline is one of the major fuels used for generators or to power engines in cars. This is one of the biggest demands in the US today. With gas prices lowering in the future the demand will only rise with the price being below 2$ a gallon for the first time in a decade. “The US is among countries that pledged Paris to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. But if people start driving more because of lower prices, that will work against the goal.” (Brady) Natural gas and propane are slightly better than oil but nowhere as good as the renewable sources of energy. They are both extracted by a dangerous procedure called fracking. fracking is when pipes are built deep underground but still in the drinkable water table (ground water) and then water is sent down to release the trapped gasses then removed to be sold for energy use. There is another form of non renewable energy that has only a small impact on the environment, and it is nuclear energy. This process requires the rare material Uranium which is highly toxic to humans and most other mammals. It is also extremely hard to find and very expensive. The main downside to this form is the removal of the slow decomposing