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A fossil fuelTemplate:Efn is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geological formations. Reservoirs of such compound mixtures, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, can be extracted and burnt as fuel for human consumption to provide energy for direct use (such as for cooking, heating or lighting), to power heat engines (such as steam or internal combustion engines) that can propel vehicles, or to generate electricity via steam turbine generators.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some fossil fuels are further refined into derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel, or converted into petrochemicals such as polyolefins (plastics), aromatics and synthetic resins.
The origin of fossil fuels is the anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The conversion from these organic materials to high-carbon fossil fuels is typically the result of a geological process of millions of years.<ref>Paul Mann, Lisa Gahagan, and Mark B. Gordon, "Tectonic setting of the world's giant oil and gas fields", in Michel T. Halbouty (ed.) Giant Oil and Gas Fields of the Decade, 1990–1999, Tulsa, Okla.: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, p. 50, accessed 22 June 2009.</ref> Due to the length of time it takes for them to form, fossil fuels are considered non-renewable resources.
In 2023, 77% of primary energy consumption in the world<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> and over 60% of its electricity supply were from fossil fuels.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The large-scale burning of fossil fuels causes serious environmental damage. Over 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity in 2022 was carbon dioxide (Template:CO2) released from burning fossil fuels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Natural carbon cycle processes on Earth, mostly absorption by the ocean, can remove only a small part of this, and terrestrial vegetation loss due to deforestation, land degradation and desertification further compounds this deficiency. Therefore, there is a net increase of many billion tonnes of atmospheric Template:CO2 per year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although methane leaks are significant,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp the burning of fossil fuels is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming and ocean acidification. Additionally, most air pollution deaths are due to fossil fuel particulates and noxious gases, and it is estimated that this costs over 3% of the global gross domestic product<ref name="Cost-of-fossil-fuels-briefing" /> and that fossil fuel phase-out will save millions of lives each year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Recognition of the climate crisis, pollution and other negative impacts caused by fossil fuels has led to a widespread policy transition and activist movement focused on ending their use in favor of renewable and sustainable energy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Because the fossil-fuel industry is so heavily integrated in the global economy and heavily subsidized,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> this transition is expected to have significant economic impacts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many stakeholders argue that this change needs to be a just transition<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and create policy that addresses the societal burdens created by the stranded assets of the fossil fuel industry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> International policy, in the form of United Nations' sustainable development goals for affordable and clean energy and climate action, as well as the Paris Climate Agreement, is designed to facilitate this transition at a global level. In 2021, the International Energy Agency concluded that no new fossil fuel extraction projects could be opened if the global economy and society wants to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and meet international goals for climate change mitigation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
OriginEdit
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".<ref>Template:Cite book Extract of p. 360</ref> The first recorded use of the term "fossil fuel" occurs in the work of the German chemist Caspar Neumann, in English translation in 1759.<ref name="NeumannLewis1773">Template:Cite book</ref> 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,<ref> Template:Cite OED – "fossil [...] adj. [...] Obtained by digging; found buried in the earth. Now chiefly of fuels and other materials occurring naturally in underground deposits; esp. in FOSSIL FUEL n." </ref> before the English noun "fossil" came to refer primarily to long-dead organisms in the early 18th century.<ref> Template:Cite OED – "fossil [...] n. [...] Something preserved in the ground, esp. in petrified form in rock, and recognizable as the remains of a living organism of a former geological period, or as preserving an impression or trace of such an organism." </ref>
Aquatic phytoplankton and zooplankton that died and sedimented in large quantities under anoxic conditions millions of years ago began forming petroleum and natural gas as a result of anaerobic decomposition. Over geological time this organic matter, mixed with mud, became buried under further heavy layers of inorganic sediment. The resulting high temperature and pressure caused the organic matter to chemically alter, first into a waxy material known as kerogen, which is found in oil shales, and then with more heat into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in a process known as catagenesis. Despite these heat-driven transformations, the energy released in combustion is still photosynthetic in origin.<ref name="thermochemistry of formation">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Terrestrial plants tended to form coal and methane. Many of the coal fields date to the Carboniferous period of Earth's history. Terrestrial plants also form type III kerogen, a source of natural gas. Although fossil fuels are continually formed by natural processes, they are classified as non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form and known viable reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are generated.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
ImportanceEdit
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Fossil fuels have been important to human development because they can be readily burned in the open atmosphere to produce heat. The use of peat as a domestic fuel predates recorded history. Coal was burned in some early furnaces for the smelting of metal ore, while semi-solid hydrocarbons from oil seeps were also burned in ancient times,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> they were mostly used for waterproofing and embalming.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Commercial exploitation of petroleum began in the 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Natural gas, once flared-off as an unneeded byproduct of petroleum production, is now considered a very valuable resource.<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref> Natural gas deposits are also the main source of helium.
Heavy crude oil, which is much more viscous than conventional crude oil, and oil sands, where bitumen is found mixed with sand and clay, began to become more important as sources of fossil fuel in the early 2000s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Oil shale and similar materials are sedimentary rocks containing kerogen, a complex mixture of high-molecular weight organic compounds, which yield synthetic crude oil when heated (pyrolyzed). With additional processing, they can be employed instead of other established fossil fuels. During the 2010s and 2020s there was disinvestment from exploitation of such resources due to their high carbon cost relative to more easily-processed reserves.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Prior to the latter half of the 18th century, windmills and watermills provided the energy needed for work such as milling flour, sawing wood or pumping water, while burning wood or peat provided domestic heat. The wide-scale use of fossil fuels, coal at first and petroleum later, in steam engines enabled the Industrial Revolution. At the same time, gas lights using natural gas or coal gas were coming into wide use. The invention of the internal combustion engine and its use in automobiles and trucks greatly increased the demand for gasoline and diesel oil, both made from fossil fuels. Other forms of transportation, railways and aircraft, also require fossil fuels. The other major use for fossil fuels is in generating electricity and as feedstock for the petrochemical industry. Tar, a leftover of petroleum extraction, is used in the construction of roads.
The energy for the Green Revolution was provided by fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas), pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbon-fueled irrigation.<ref>Eating Fossil Fuels. EnergyBulletin. Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The development of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer has significantly supported global population growth; it has been estimated that almost half of the Earth's population are currently fed as a result of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> According to head of a fertilizers commodity price agency, "50% of the world's food relies on fertilisers."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Environmental effectsEdit
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The burning of fossil fuels has a number of negative externalitiesTemplate:Sndharmful environmental impacts where the effects extend beyond the people using the fuel. These effects vary between different fuels. All fossil fuels release Template:Co2 when they burn, thus accelerating climate change. Burning coal, and to a lesser extent oil and its derivatives, contributes to atmospheric particulate matter, smog and acid rain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="CQ Researcher">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name = "Mitigations">Template:Cite book</ref> 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).<ref name="Cost-of-fossil-fuels-briefing">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Climate change is largely driven by the release of greenhouse gases like Template:Co2, and the burning of fossil fuels is the main source of these emissions. In most parts of the world climate change is negatively impacting ecosystems.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This includes contributing to the extinction of species and reducing people's ability to produce food, thus adding to the problem of world hunger. Continued rises in global temperatures will lead to further adverse effects on both ecosystems and people; the World Health Organization has said that climate change is the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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 uranium and thorium, which are released into the atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 tonnes of thorium and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were released worldwide from burning coal.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is estimated that during 1982, US coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island accident.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Burning coal also generates large amounts of bottom ash and fly ash. These materials are used in a wide variety of applications (see Fly ash reuse), utilizing, for example,Template:Clarify about 40% of the United States production.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link Template:Dead link</ref>
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 mountaintop removal and strip mining, have negative environmental impacts, and offshore oil drilling poses a hazard to aquatic organisms. Fossil fuel wells can contribute to methane release via fugitive gas emissions. Oil refineries also have negative environmental impacts, including air and water pollution. Coal is sometimes transported by diesel-powered locomotives, while crude oil is typically transported by tanker ships, requiring the combustion of additional fossil fuels. [[File:Annual-co2-emissions-by-region-2022.png|thumb|250px|Annual [[List of countries by carbon dioxide emissions|Template:CO2 emissions by region]]. This measures fossil fuel and industry emissions. Land use change is not included.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>]] 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 renewable energy. Environmental regulation uses a variety of approaches to limit these emissions; for example, rules against releasing waste products like fly ash into the atmosphere.<ref name = "Mitigations"/>
In December 2020, the United Nations released a report saying that despite the need to reduce greenhouse emissions, various governments are "doubling down" on fossil fuels, in some cases diverting over 50% of their COVID-19 recovery stimulus funding to fossil fuel production rather than to alternative energy. The UN secretary general António Guterres declared that "Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Nature always strikes backTemplate:Sndand it is already doing so with growing force and fury." He also claimed there is still cause for hope, anticipating the US plan to join other large emitters like China and the EU in adopting targets to reach net zero emissions by 2050.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Inflation effectsEdit
Fossilflation is a term that describes the impact of fossil fuels on inflation.<ref name="Vox20220812">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="CNN20240818">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
According to Vox in August 2022, "Economists have pointed to energy prices as the main reason for high inflation", noting that "energy prices indirectly affect virtually every part of the economy".<ref name="Vox20220812" /> Sectors that raise prices significantly as a result of higher fossil fuel prices include transportation, food, and shipping.<ref name="Vox20220812" />
HistoryEdit
Mark Zandi of Moody's says that fossil fuel prices have driven every big episode of inflation since WWII.<ref name="Vox20220812" />
The economic impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a major recent example of fossil fuels causing inflation.<ref name="CNN20240818" /> Some economists, including Isabel Schnabel, believe that dependence on fossil fuels is the main driver of the 2021-2022 inflation spike.<ref name="Vox20220812" /><ref name="CNN20240818" />
Efforts to combat fossilflationEdit
Gernot Wagner argues that commodities are undesirable energy sources because they are susceptible to volatile price swings that technologies like renewable energy are not. He also argues that technologies improve and get relatively cheaper over time.<ref name="Vox20220812" /><ref name="HeatmapNews20240223" /> Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, some argued for the possibility of a base effect phenomenon due to cheaper than normal prices, such as for oil, at the onset of the pandemic, followed by above-average prices which exacerbated the perceived inflation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Inflation Reduction ActEdit
While not expected to provide much short-term relief, the Inflation Reduction Act seeks to make the United States less dependent on fossil fuels and their ability to cause inflation in the economy.<ref name="Vox20220812" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="HeatmapNews20240223">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Moody's estimates that by 2030, the bill could reduce the typical American household's spending on energy by more than $300 each year, in 2022 dollars.<ref name="Vox20220812" />
Illness and deathsEdit
Environmental pollution from fossil fuels impacts humans because particulates and other air pollution from fossil fuel combustion may 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.<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref> Global air pollution deaths due to fossil fuels have been estimated at over 8 million people (2018, nearly 1 in 5 deaths worldwide)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> at 10.2 million (2019),<ref name=EnvRsch_20210400>Template:Cite journal</ref> and 5.13 million excess deaths from ambient air pollution from fossil fuel use (2023).<ref name=BMJ_20231129>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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 terawatt-hour (TWh):
| 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 |
<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Phase-outEdit
Just transitionEdit
DivestmentEdit
Industrial sectorEdit
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In 2019, Saudi Aramco was listed and it reached a US$2 trillion valuation on its second day of trading,<ref name="Kerr2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> after the world's largest initial public offering.<ref name="Raval2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SubsidiesEdit
Lobbying activitiesEdit
See alsoEdit
- 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
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
- 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 linksEdit
- Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker Template:Webarchive
- Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air
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