Why Are Fossil Fuels Bad for the Environment? Burning fossil fuels is, first of all, detrimental to our health. That’s the cutoff. Due to the burning of Fossil fuels, many harmful pollutants are formed such as Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Particulate Matter, Lead, Mercury and Sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Both processes can greatly impact the environment surrounding the sites as well as the health of the workers performing the jobs. Fossil fuels are by nature finite and won’t be around forever. Clean air? They estimated that if all of the world’s indicated reserves of fossil fuels were burned, 2,860 billion tonnes of CO 2 would be emitted to the atmosphere. Though the slight change in temperature may seem insignificant, it can have devastating impacts on plants and wildlife. There are so many reasons why we should not close Three Mile Island. Comments (0) | Permalink | The answer does vary for each type of fossil fuel. We understand today that humanity’s use of fossil fuels is severely damaging our environment. Burning fossil fuels leads to global climate change by emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Fossil fuels emit more than simply carbon dioxide when burned. Environmental Impact of Extracting Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are extracted through two processes: mining and drilling. There are two main types of Fossil Fuels, namely, Coal and Oil. Why are fossil fuels bad? Mining is the process used to access coal while drilling is used to extract oil and natural gas from deep below the Earth's surface. Of the three, oil is used at a much higher rate than the others to meet the growing energy demands of the world's population. Spills are a major concern when extracting oil. s have been selected as a major source of energy providing more than 85% of the world’s needs. They’re not worried about it. Burning fossil fuels releases significant quantities of carbon dioxide, aggravating climate change. Burning fossil fuels leads to global climate change by emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. But our continued reliance on these fuels has serious ecological consequences, and may even eventually lead to the end of human life as we know it. Getty Images Europe/Getty Images News/Getty Images. I'm going to start out with that it is low cost energy. Overall Process; Adv/Dis; The future; Global Warming; Climate Change; Greenhouse Effect; These are just some of the words that are becoming well-established in today’s society. This added capacity has allowed the American fossil fuel industry to double its oil production and increase gas production by more than 60%. The evolution of fossil fuels started when plants an animals died en masse. However, the consequences of burning fossil fuels are dire, to say the least. More CO2 in our atmosphere … Fossil fuels are natural resources that are continually formed deep below the earth's surface. The burning of coal is thought to contribute 44% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. It also releases particulates, sulfur dioxide gas, and other compounds that can be harmful to human health. Fossil fuels are energy sources produced from organic matter that has fossilized for millions of years. While supporters of different fossil fuels claim that one is better than the other, all fossil fuels release carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere when burned. If not yesterday, for sure within 10 years. 5 Cities Worldwide that Battle for Climate Survival, Game-Changing Climate Decisions: 2013 May be the Year, The dangers of handling methane gas the wrong way, Researchers state only 40 Years of Oil and 65 Years of Gas Left (, Pros and Cons of Global Warming - new information (, Climate Change Catastrophe – How Google Earth Predicts the Future (, A Green Economy will Generate 3 Million Jobs by the Year 2020 (, Top 10 Reasons Why Santa Won't Be Driving a Hummer This Year (, Conservationists Turn To Unmanned Drones For Park Surveillance And More, Nanotechnology Could Be The Key For Green Energy Storage, LEGO Should Be Commended For Cutting Ties With Shell, Cellulosic Ethanol Production Soldiers On Despite Challenges, Elephant Deaths From Poaching Reach Alarming Numbers, Study Finds. They provide electricity, heat, and transportation, while also feeding the processes that make a huge range of products, from steel to plastics. Coal provides many jobs. What are fuel cells? We’re all familiar with the sight of smoke pouring from a chimney – that’s air pollution in action. http://www.energy.gov/energysources/fossilfuels.htm. Why Fossil Fuel Divestment is Bad for the Environment As the fight against Climate Change has gained momentum, so too has the campaign surrounding Fossil Fuel Divestment, which according to an Oxford University study, is the fastest growing divestment movement in history. The burning of fossil fuels produces vast quantities of carbon dioxide and is a massive contributor to the growing problem that the world faces. The fact of the matte… In the following guide, we want to address questions like “Why are fossil fuels bad for human health?” and “Why are fossil fuels bad for the environment?”, but also, discuss sustainable alternatives to using fossil fuels in the future. The fact is that we need clean air for good health. However, because they take so long to form, they are considered non-renewable resources. This is more than 2.5 times greater than the allowed budget for a toss-of-the-coin chance of succeeding. Posted on October 24th under Global Ecology. These emissions can be linked to a wide array of problems from the local to the global scale. Fossil fuels pollute our water and our atmosphere. Fossil fuel subsidies increase global warming, delay the development of renewable energies and retard the transition to a low-carbon economy. Unearthing, processing, and moving underground oil, gas, and coal deposits take … These are present in the form of petroleum (oil), coal and natural gas. Drilling for oil can also lead to oil spills and leaks, which have terrible effects on wildlife, and … Where does hydrogen come from? Extracting and transporting fossil fuels also contribute to air and water pollution. Are fossil fuels good or bad? Basically fossil fuels were being used used since like the 1900s and we use a lot of it and people don't understand that fossil fuels are bad for us and if we run out and we don't calculate it right then we will be stuck with nothing. We still primarily use oil and natural gas boilers in buildings for … Workers in these industries have often not received … Water use. Because for the foreseeable future, fossil fuels provide the key to a great environment: abundant, affordable, reliable energy. BP’s share price has hovered generally just under £5 a share for the last 5 years, and has returned around 7.5 pence per … Of course, now we use these hydrocarbons as an energy source … As the plants and animals of millions of years ago lay buried below the ground, the Earth’s core heated the decaying mixture that we use today for as fossil fuels. 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