Fossil fuels: Out of fashion?

Over 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels, non-renewable resources that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Non-renewable resources are natural resources that are finite and are depleted faster than they are replenishable. Fossil fuels include oil, coal, and natural gas, materials that are burned to provide energy. These resources originate from millions of years ago, with the process of decomposing organic matter followed by heat and compression.

Oil is a resource that is either found below the ocean floor or below ground and is drilled up by large companies. It is often refined into finer petroleum products to be used in our everyday lives, such as gasoline for our cars. We can find usage of petroleum in petrochemical plants, industrial power plants that refine petroleum to create chemical products named (unsurprisingly) petrochemicals. Globally, we use approximately 35 billion barrels of oil per year according to Worldometer, and as of the time this article is written, there are only 1.44 trillion barrels left, predicted to last only 41 more years.

Coal is usually burnt for industrial purposes to be combusted to produce electricity, through a steaming process. Industrial sectors of countries rely heavily on coal, with it bringing in billions of dollars, an example being the value of China’s coal-based chemical industry equaling nearly 132.2 billion US dollars, according to a study done in 2018.

Natural gas is used to provide for our heating systems, our refrigeration systems, and many more machines that we find in our homes. The United States alone used 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in a single year (2018), with the number increasing as the world develops.

However, the consequences of using non-renewable resources don’t just stop at their scarcity. They also have a large impact on the environment. As stated by EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), carbon emissions have “increased by about 90% (since 1970)”, with the emissions in 1970 amounting to approximately 14.9 billion metric tons. Carbon emissions are specific, but non-renewable release greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere. Their name is derived from the greenhouse effect, where gases are trapped within the atmosphere, making it easier to trap the sun’s radiation from escaping after being reflected, much like a greenhouse. This results in global warming (now known as climate change), with the repercussions are seen through glaciers melting and sea levels rising. The increase in natural disasters can also be interpreted to be a consequence of this climate change.

Crude oil has been a source of environmental pollution, with oil spills affecting marine wildlife and the ecosystem. The BP Deepwater Horizon spill, the largest recorded spill, was measured to have spilled close to 135 million gallons of oil into the surrounding waters, in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA in the United States) compares the amount to “the volume of 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools”. Other repercussions consisted of loss of economic prospects, as fishing became dire for residents that lived near the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon spill is far from the only oil spill that has happened, and will not be the last if action isn’t taken.

Coal, too, has a detrimental environmental impact, not only due to the emissions after it’s burnt that most of us are aware of but also due to something called Mountaintop Removal Mining, a process where mountains are destroyed to facilitate the extraction of coal from the natural environment. This can also destroy natural habitats, as well as create visual pollution of emptiness where a mountain once was. Returning to carbon emissions, the burning of coal is said to be responsible for 46% of the emissions globally, according to endcoal.org, especially due to it being one of the most used energy resources.

More sustainable and renewable alternatives consist of solar power, tidal power, and, albeit debatable, nuclear power to create electricity or other energies to supply our daily usage.

Similar to the wording, solar power is generated from the sun’s energy, often with solar panels that are seen on the roofs of houses. The panels absorb the energy, making electrical charges move, resulting in electricity.

Tidal power is created through waves in the ocean. Unlike solar power, it’s more reliable, as there aren’t necessarily times when the tides will cease to be there, like nighttime for solar energy. It’s still not widely used due to territory issues that may arise, but it uses the flow of tidal waves to generate electricity, slightly similar to watermills that spin due to water pouring on them.

Nuclear power relies on uranium, a non-renewable resource within itself, though nuclear power is renewable. It is generated within a power plant that may also cause danger, therefore making it controversial as to whether nuclear power is reliable. It creates radioactive waste that is difficult to dispose of and requires intense precaution. However, uranium is plentiful and does not create byproducts like greenhouse gases, since the process doesn’t burn any materials. It has a process of boiling water to create steam to power turbines, to make energy. It is extremely efficient as it requires less fuel. France is an example country that relies heavily on nuclear energy, with over 75% of its energy coming from nuclear power.

All in all, fossil fuels are known to cause many issues, and although renewable resources can still be optimized, they seem to be a better option environmentally speaking and are more bountiful.