Fossil Fuels Essay

780 Words2 Pages

Fossil fuels are natural fuels that are derived from the remains of living organisms and are a major energy source in the world. These fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas which are not renewable; they cannot be synthetically created or manufactured. Once they are used, it will be another million years to refill what the humans have used up. Although natural fuels are popular, they have many drawbacks. The consumption of fossil fuels have led to the greenhouse effect – the damage to the earth. However, there are alternate sources of power to decrease the amount of carbon gasses released into the atmosphere. These energy sources beneficial to the environment and difficult to control.
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases are …show more content…

This term is used to describe the heating of the atmosphere because of the large presence of carbon gasses from fossil fuels. The increase in the average temperature of the earth is leading to a process known as global warming. The intensified rays of the sun is killing plankton, which is food for a vast amount of marine life. It is also melting ice caps in the oceans which is raising the sea level. Fossil fuels such as coal and oil are used on a large basis to produce electricity for living and energy for locomotion. The carbon dioxide produced by these running vehicles are one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect. Landfills and dumps with garbage produce vast amounts of carbon dioxide among other gasses. Deforestation removes the trees that take in carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen. Another cause of the greenhouse effect is the increased population. There are more people using fossil fuels to power machinery or buildings which has absolutely amplified the release of carbon gasses into the …show more content…

Solar, wind, and tidal energy is often used in replace of fossil fuels and are most popular because they are renewable. The energy will never run out and can produce a constant energy supply. The energy is also cheaper and more economically sound. The solar, wind, and tidal energy sources are environmentally beneficial because they produce lower carbon levels, does not contribute to the greenhouse effect, and are usually energy saving. However, the alternate energy is not always dependable. It relies upon the weather, and if the required weather isn’t available or produced, there will be no energy made. The energy is also difficult to generate in large quantities. There are not enough facilities, such as wind farms or solar panels, to match up with the developing demand for renewable energy. The large quantities of energy that is produced requires large regions of land for the energy plants to be placed. The plants also have a large capital cost, need to be maintained and require careful planning which is not feasible for many

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