Fossil fuels

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Fossil fuels is the collective term given to coal, gas, oil and oil derivatives. They are called fossil fuels because they are each by-products of the breakdown of ancient (fossil) trees, plants and animals over millions of years and by intense pressure. Most of our current energy is supplied by burning fossil fuels. This is bad because it releases lots of carbon, which then forms carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is one of the biggest contributors to global warming.

1 Understanding the issue
2 Cost-benefit analysis
3 What are the solutions
4 Organisations that work on fossil fuels
5 See also
6 Books
7 Movies
8 External links

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Understanding the issue

The problems caused by fossil fuels primarily focus on climate change, though there are secondary issues around local pollution caused by mining and oil spills.

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The causes

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Coal

How much CO2 it produces per kilojoule or watt of energy Where it's used - mainly electricity supplies

A 1000 MW coal-fired power station requires the mining, transportation, storage and burning of about 3.2 million tonnes of black coal per year. This creates around 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide not to mention sulfur dioxide, depending on the particular coal. Solid wastes from a coal-fired power station can be substantial and cause environmental and health damage. There are typically about 200 000 tonnes of solids, mostly flyash. The ash contains several hundred tonnes of toxic heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead, vanadium and mercury which remain toxic forever. If brown coal is used the carbon dioxide figure is about 9 million tonnes

Alternatives

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