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The Effects of Fossil Fuel Consumption

Fossil fuels are quite literally fuels that were created by fossils. Dead organisms buried in the Earth gradually break down over millions of years to create coal, petroleum and natural gas, which humans use to heat buildings and drive cars, along with myriad other uses. There are several problems related to the use of fossil fuels, some having disastrous effects on the environment, while others impact the economy.

  1. Global Warming

    • Perhaps the biggest contributor to global warming, burning fossil fuels, which is required to release their energy, releases carbon dioxide gas into the environment. This gas traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, creating elevated temperatures. Warmer temperatures globally lead to melted polar ice caps, causing sea levels to rise -- which in turn leads to the extinction of plant and animal species. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory estimate that if fossil fuel use continues at its current pace, in 300 years the average temperature would increase by more than 14 degrees Fahrenheit, which would raise ocean levels by as much as 21 feet. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would also increase from its current 240 parts per million to more than 1,200 ppm.

    Energy Crisis

    • Since it takes millions of years to create fossil fuels and we are using them way more quickly than they can be replenished, the world will run out of them in the near future. Estimates on exactly how long vary greatly, mainly because the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is very secretive and will not disclose how much of these fossil fuels remain. Regardless of the exact date, when the world depletes its fossil fuel reserves there will be a full-blown energy crisis. Oil and petroleum prices will skyrocket while industry scrambles to devise and implement alternative energy sources.

    Pollution

    • In addition to carbon dioxide, burning fossil fuels released sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into the environment. Nitrogen oxides form smog, which causes bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses. In addition, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are also the major contributors to acid rain, which lowers the pH of lakes and rivers, causing the widespread death of plants, animals and crops. Burning fossil fuels also creates dust, soot and smoke, which add to the air pollution, cause respiratory irritation and may contribute to acid rain.

    Environmental Damage

    • Harvesting fossil fuels is also detrimental to the environment. Coal, for example, is often mined by mountaintop removal or strip mining, which destroy Earth's natural topography. Offshore oil drilling is dangerous to aquatic organisms, including sea life consumed as food, as is evidenced by the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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