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INTRODUCTION

Over the centuries, different types of energy sources are used just to provide the world
with electricity, the major contributor to this is burning of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels
has generated most of the energy required to propel our cars, power our businesses, and keep
the lights on in our homes. Even today, oil, coal, and gas provide for about 80 percent of our
energy needs (Energy Information Administration, 2019).

Fossil fuels as the name suggests are derivatives of plant and animal fossils that are
millions of years old. These are primarily formed from the remains of the decayed plants and
animals of the carboniferous era. It has, and still continues to, play a dominant role in global
energy systems. Fossil energy was a fundamental driver of the Industrial Revolution, and the
technological, social, economic and development progress which has followed. Energy has
played a strongly positive role in global change (Ritchie 2019).

Fossil fuels are the major energy source that are being used in the world today. But
fossil fuels come with a cost. Over-consumption can lead to serious environmental issues.
Coal smoke is linked with everything from asthma and birth defects to cancer and premature
death. Natural gas fracking is tied to contaminated groundwater and earthquakes. And oil is
the single largest source of air pollution and smog in the world. Using fossil fuels for energy
has exacted an enormous toll on humanity and the environment—from air and water
pollution to global warming. That’s beyond all the negative impacts from petroleum-based
products such as plastics and chemicals.

Understanding the scope of their impacts is critical for informing our choices around
energy production—and for preventing the worst impacts of climate change. The world must
therefore balance the role of energy in social and economic development with the need to
decarbonize, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and transition towards lower-carbon energy
sources.
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I. Types of Fossil Fuels

 Crude Oil or Petroleum

Crude oil, or petroleum (literally “rock oil” in Latin), is a liquid fossil fuel made up
mostly of hydrocarbons (hydrogen and carbon compounds). It is a naturally occurring,
yellowish-black liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth's surface. Oil can be
found in underground reservoirs; in the cracks, crevices, and pores of sedimentary rock; or
in tar sands near the earth’s surface.

It consists of naturally occurring hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and may

contain miscellaneous organic compounds (EIA, 2017). The name petroleum covers both
naturally occurring unprocessed crude oil and petroleum products that are made up of refined
crude oil. A fossil fuel, petroleum is formed when large quantities of dead organisms,
mostly zooplankton and algae, are buried underneath sedimentary rock and subjected to both
intense heat and pressure.

It’s accessed by drilling, on land or at sea, or by strip mining in the case of tar sands
oil and oil shale.  It is refined and separated, most easily by distillation, into numerous
consumer products, from gasoline (petrol) and kerosene to asphalt and
chemical reagents used to make plastics, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Petroleum is used in
manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about
95 million barrels each day (The Hindu, 2011).

The use of petroleum as fuel is controversial due to its impact on global

warming and ocean acidification. According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, fossil fuel phase-out, including petroleum, needs to be completed by the end of 21st
century to avoid "severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems"
(IPCC, 2014).

 Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock

strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements;
chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen (Blander, 2010). It is a solid, carbon-heavy
rock that comes in four main varieties differentiated largely by carbon content: lignite, sub-
bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. Regardless of variety, however, all coal is dirty.
Indeed, in terms of emissions, it’s the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel we can burn. Coal is
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formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and
pressure of deep burial over millions of years. Vast deposits of coal originates in
former wetlands—called coal forests—that covered much of the Earth's tropical land areas
during the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) and Permian times (Sahney, 2010).

Coal is extracted via two methods: Underground mining uses heavy machinery to cut
coal from deep underground deposits, while surface mining (also known as strip mining)
removes entire layers of soil and rock to access coal deposits below. Although both forms of
mining are detrimental to the environment, strip mining is particularly destructive, uprooting
and polluting entire ecosystems.

As a fossil fuel burned for heat, coal supplies about a quarter of the world's primary
energy and two-fifths of its electricity. Some iron and steel making and other industrial
processes burn coal.

The extraction and use of coal causes many premature deaths and much illness. Coal
industry damages the environment, including by climate change as it is the
largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide, 14 Gt in 2016, which is 40% of the total
fossil fuel emissions. As part of the worldwide energy transition many countries have stopped
using or use less coal.

 Natural Gas

Natural gas (also called fossil gas) is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture

consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other
higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen
sulfide, or helium. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are
exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years.
The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of chemical
bonds in the gas.

Conventional natural gas is located in porous and permeable rock beds or mixed into
oil reservoirs and can be accessed via standard drilling. Unconventional natural gas is
essentially any form of gas that is too difficult or expensive to extract via regular drilling,
requiring a special stimulation technique, such as fracking.
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Natural gas is a non-renewable hydrocarbon used as a source of energy for heating,

cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as a fuel for vehicles and as a chemical
feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals.

Natural gas has a complicated effect on climate change, it itself is a greenhouse

gas and it releases carbon dioxide when burned. However natural gas use often supplants coal
usage which is far more environmentally damaging, leading to lower net carbon dioxide
emissions in countries such as the US.

II. Global Fossil Fuel Production and Consumption

The following charts are the global fossil fuel production and consumption per region
and per country from the years 1965 to 2016.

 Crude Oil or Petroleum

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 Coal

 Natural Gas
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III. Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuel

 Advantages
i. major advantage of fossil fuels is their capacity to generate huge amounts of
electricity in just a single location.
ii. Fossil fuels are very easy to find
iii. When coal is used in power plants, they are very cost effective. Coal is also in
abundant supply
iv. Transporting oil and gas to the power stations can be made through the use of
pipes making it an easy task
v. Fossil fuels are cheap and reliable sources of energy. They are excellent types of
fuel to use for the energy base-load, as opposed to some of the more unreliable
energy sources such as wind and solar
vi. Power stations that make use of fossil fuel can be constructed in almost any
location. This is possible as long as large quantities of fuel can be easily brought
to the power plants
 Disadvantages
i. Pollution is a major disadvantage of fossil fuels. This is because they give off
carbon dioxide when burned thereby causing a greenhouse effect. This is also the
main contributory factor to the global warming experienced by the earth today
ii. Use of natural gas can cause unpleasant odors and some problems especially with
transportation
iii. Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources. This means that there is a finite
amount of fossil fuels available and the reserves are not replenished naturally.?
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This is not entirely correct, as fossil fuels are products of millions of years of
natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. 
iv. We are spending our fossil fuel reserves in a non-sustainable manner. Luckily, this
forces us to think different when it comes to energy, which results in the growth of
renewable and green sources of energy.
v. Fossil fuels can also spill during transport, creating environmental damage as the
product spills out. This is particularly problematic for petroleum products. From
oil pipeline spills to disasters such as the Exxon Valdez spill, human error can
cause a lot of unintended environmental damage. Even regular wear and tear, if
not properly maintained, can lead to a higher risk of a leak occurring.
vi. Many of the outcomes which come out of the combustion of fossil fuels without
condensing technologies lead to an environment that is more acidic. This acidity
can change ocean environments, alter how crops can grow, and may even lead to a
higher risk of drought and famine. 

IV. Alternative Energy Sources

1. Tidal Energy

Tidal energy uses the power of water to generate energy, much like with hydroelectric
methods, but its application actually has more in common with wind turbines in many cases.

The most common form of tidal energy generation is the use of Tidal Stream Generators.
These use the kinetic energy of the ocean to power turbines, without producing the waste of
fossil fuels or being as susceptible to the elements as other forms of alternative energy.

Though it is a fairly new technology, its potential is enormous. A report produced in the
United Kingdom estimated that tidal energy could meet as much as 20% of the UK’s current
electricity demands.

2. Biomass Energy

Biomass energy comes in a number of forms. Burning wood has been used for thousands
of years to create heat, but more recent advancements have also seen waste, such as that in
landfills, and alcohol products used for similar purposes.
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Focusing on burning wood, the heat generated can be equivalent to that of a central
heating system. Furthermore, the costs involved tend to be lower and the amount of carbon
released by this kind of fuel falls below the amount released by fossil fuels.

3. Wind Energy

This form of energy generation has become increasingly popular in recent years. It offers
much the same benefits that many other alternative fuel sources do in that it makes use of a
renewable source and generates no waste.

Current wind energy installations power roughly twenty million homes in the United
States per year and that number is growing. Most states in the nation now have some form of
wind energy set-up and investment into the technology continues to grow.

4. Geothermal Power

At its most basic, geothermal power is about extracting energy from the ground around
us. It is growing increasingly popular, with the sector as a whole experiencing five percent
growth in 2015.

This power source has massive potential while doing little to disrupt the land. However,
the heavy upfront costs of creating geothermal power plants has led to slower adoption than
may have been expected for a fuel source with so much promise.

5. Biofuels

In contrast to biomass energy sources, biofuels make use of animal and plant life to create
energy. In essence they are fuels that can be obtained from some form of organic matter.

They are renewable in cases where plants are used, as these can be regrown on a yearly
basis. However, they do require dedicated machinery for extraction, which can contribute to
increased emissions even if biofuels themselves don’t.

6. Wave Energy

Much like with tidal energy, the benefits come in the lack of waste produced. It is also
more reliable than many other forms of alternative energy and has enormous potential when
used properly. These hold an advantage over tidal energy sources because they can be placed
in the ocean in various situations and locations.
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Again, the cost of such systems is a major contributing factor to slow uptake. We also
don’t yet have enough data to find out how wave energy converters affect natural ecosystems.

7. Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric methods actually are some of the earliest means of creating energy, though
their use began to decline with the rise of fossil fuels. Despite this, they still account for
approximately seven percent of the energy produced in the United States.

Hydroelectric energy carries with it a number of benefits. Not only is it a clean source of
energy, which means it doesn’t create pollution and the myriad issues that arise from it, but it
is also a renewable energy source.

8. Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is amongst the most abundant forms of alternative energy. It creates a
number of direct benefits in terms of emissions and efficiency, while also boosting the
economy by creating jobs in plant creation and operation.

The drawback is that when something goes wrong with a nuclear power plant the
potential for catastrophe exists. The situations in Chernobyl and Fukushima are examples of
this.

9. Solar Power

When most people think of alternative energy sources they tend to use solar power as an
example. The technology has evolved massively over the years and is now used for large-
scale energy production and power generation for single homes.

This energy source is completely renewable and the costs of installation are outweighed
by the money saved in energy bills from traditional suppliers. Nevertheless, solar cells are
prone to deterioration over large periods of time and are not as effective in unideal weather
conditions.

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CONCLUSION

As the issues that result from the use of traditional fossil fuels become more
prominent, alternative fuel sources like the ones mentioned here are likely to gain further
importance.

Their benefits alleviate many of the problems caused by fossil fuel use, particularly
when it comes to emissions. However, the advancement of some of these technologies has
been slowed down due to the amount of investment needed to make them viable.

Through combining them all we may be able to positively affect issues like climate
change, pollution and many others.
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REFERENCES
Blander, M. (2010). Calculations of the Influence of Additives on Coal Combustion Deposits.
Argonne National Laboratory.

Energy Information Administration. (2017, July 7). EIA Energy Kids - Oil (Petroleum).
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IPCC. (2014). Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II
and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. Geneva,
Switzerland: IPCC.

Regoli, N. (2019). 12 Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels. Retrieved from

Vittana: https://www.vittana.org/12-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-fossil-fuels

Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2019). Fossil Fuels. Retrieved from Our World In Data:
https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels

Sahney, S., Benton, M., & Falcon-Lang, H. (2010). Rainforest collapse triggered
Pennsylvanian tetrapod diversification in Euramerica.

The Hindu. (2011). Libyan tremors threaten to rattle the oil world. Chennai, India.

U.S. energy facts explained. (2019, August 29). Retrieved from Energy Information
Administration: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/