ARE FOSSIL FUELS DESTROYING THE EARTH AND HOW CAN THIS BE PREVENTED?

WRITTEN BY MABEL W

What are fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources, also known as finite recourses. There is a limited amount of fossil fuels available, which means that once they are extracted and used up, they would take hundreds of millions of years to be replenished.

Fossil fuels are made of decomposed remains of plants and animals from millions of years ago, which is why they have the word ‘fossil’ in the name. The word ‘fuel’ is used as all of the matter from the deceased plants and animals contains carbon, which gives off energy when it is burned

There are three main fossil fuels – coal, oil (petroleum), and natural gasses. Both oil and gas come from layers of dead marine organisms being buried under many layers of mud and rock, which builds up to be incredibly heavy The geothermal heat from the earth’s mantle warms the matter to 110°C. This, combined with the massive amount of pressure, compresses the matter into oil. Natural gas is then formed form oil at temperatures above 110°C Coal is also made up of plant and animal matter, and is typically found in sedimentary rock deposits.

Extraction of fossil fuels

There are many ways to extract these fossil fuels from the Earth, as each recourse has its own method of being extracted For example, there are two ways to mine coal – surface mining and underground mining Surface mining is where coal is extracted closer to the upper portion of the Earth’s crust – usually found 50-80 metres below the Earth’s surface Surface mining is used when the coal deposits are less than two hundred feet under the ground This method of mining for coal is relatively easy Miners use machines to dig through the topsoil to the coal deposits After the coal has been extracted, the topsoil is put back to continue plant growth. Compared to underground mining, surface mining is the cheapest option of the two ways to acquire coal from the Earth, and accounts for two-thirds of the United States’ coal production

Underground mining, which is also referred to as ‘deep mining’, is a process that is used when the coal is hundreds of feet below the surface It retrieves the coal from places sometimes as far as three hundred metres below the Earth’s surface. Miners are transported to the coal deposits by elevator and train, and then use a machine to extract it

After the coal is extracted using either of these processes – surface mining and underground mining – it can be processed This process removes dirt, rocks, sulphur, ash, and other unwanted materials This process isn’t a necessity, but does improve the heating value of the coal.

There are several different ways to mine oil, such as surface mining, in situ recovery, and offshore oil extraction No matter which process is used, oil can be refined into synthetic crude oil

Surface mining for oil is used for oil sands (bitumen) that are less than two hundred feet from the Earth’s surface The oil sands are extracted by a large mechanical shovel, and then transported to ‘crushers’, where the sand is mixed with hot water Next, the oil sand is pumped through an ‘upgrader’, where unwanted contents such as sand, clay, and water, are separated from the oil.

Situ recovery is a type of mining that is used when the oil sand is much deeper in the Earth Unlike surface mining, the bitumen (oil) is separated from the sound underground, instead of being brought elsewhere The two ways of doing this are cyclic steam simulation (CSS), or steamassisted gravity drainage (SAGD).

The final way of extracting oil is offshore oil extraction, which is time consuming and expensive Before removal can begin, the company will look at geophysical data to show potential oil reservoirs Next, a survey will be done to map different geological structures beneath the seabed, along with an exploratory drill to see if these structures contain oil The development of the mining starts and can take up to 10 years to complete. The company uses a combination of pressure and chemicals to break down the sand oil The process typically adds hydrogen and removes carbon This refined oil is then used to make gas, jet fuel, diesel, and heating oil

There are three ways to extract natural gas from the Earth – vertical drilling, horizontal drilling, and hydraulic fracturing.

Vertical drilling was the original process created to extract natural gas from the Earth This form of drilling is used when the natural gas is directly below the Earth’s surface – a well is drilled straight down into the rock that holds the natural gas

Horizontal drilling is used to extract natural gas that was previously impossible to reach This process begins by drilling vertically into the ground. Then, a flexible drilling pipe is manoeuvred into and steered horizontally to the natural gas reservoir

Hydraulic fracturing is a more complicated and controversial way of extracting gas from the Earth Three materials – water, chemicals, and sand – are blasted into a rock formation under the Earth’s surface The sand props up the rock, allowing gas to escape, which is then collected for processing This process is controversial as it requires enormous amounts of water, therefore negatively impacting aquatic habitats

Uses of fossil fuels

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the UK, in the second half of the 18th century, fossil fuels have been consumed at a rapidly increasing rate

Today, they supply more than 80 percent of all the energy consumed by the mechanically developed countries of the world.

They provide electricity, heat, and transportation, while also feeding the processes that make a vast range of products, from steel to plastics

The usage of coal has doubled after the 20th century Most countries depend on coal as it is generally cheaper than the other two fossil fuels (oil and natural gas)

Coal is used in the production of soaps, fibres, solvents, electrical utilities, and plastics There are various uses of coal in different manufacturing sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry, making paper, steel industry and cement manufacture

Crude oil or petroleum is typically used for generating electricity and fuelling transportation such as cars, busses, or jets

Various chemicals, medicines, lubricants, plastics, tars, and wax are produced from the by-products of oil.

Natural gas is mainly composed of methane, and is much cleaner in comparison to the other two fossil fuels

Natural gas is used in air conditioning, cooking appliances such as heat homes, heating water, fuel stoves, etc Similarly to coal, natural gas is also used in the industrial sectors such as glass foundries, aluminium smelters, steel smelters and other manufacturing sectors. Dyes, fertilisers, paints, and plastics are also created by natural gasses

How are fossil fuels harmful and what is the impact?

The primary fossil fuels; coal, oil, and gas account for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, making them the largest contributor to global climate change

Greenhouse gasses envelop the Earth, trapping the suns heat inside, leading to global warming and climate change This is dangerous as it causes warmer temperatures overtime. These changes in weather patters are disruptive to the usual balance of nature – this poses many risks to all life forms on Earth, including humans Every aspect of fossil fuels is harmful to the environment – from extracting them, generating electricity using them, and relying on them for manufacturing purposes

The environmental damage begins with the extraction of fossil fuels For example, hydraulic fracturing is extremely controversial as it requires enormous amounts of water, therefore negatively impacting aquatic habitats This extraction method also produces toxic and radioactive wastewater that could drain into and contaminate other water

Activities such as producing food, cutting down forests, generating power, overconsumption, using transportation, manufacturing goods, and powering buildings are all contributing to greenhouse gas emissions This leads to severe storms, increased drought, poverty and displacement, increased health risks, and ocean levels rising. As the sun ’ s heat gets trapped around the Earth, temperatures rise, causing more moisture evaporates This can lead to heavier rain fall, and therefore a higher risk of floods and extreme weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes With the warmer weather evaporating more moisture, there has been an increasing number of droughts

Sustainable options to fossil fuels

In an attempt to combat the amount of harmful greenhouse gas being created, sustainable and renewable energy sources have been made, such as wind power and geothermal energy

While people such as the ancient Egyptians have been harnessing the wind for a long time today we capture energy with wind places with strong with such as mountain passes to create electricity for nearby homes, schools, and other buildings

Turbines are built in the ocean to harvest the heavy winds, which are called ‘offshore wind farms’

Wind turbines can be very efficient, providing a relatively cheap, clean form of energy. They are especially useful in places with steady winds, and do not burn or emit fuels into the air, although, wind is not always the most reliable source of energy

It depends on the time of day, weather and location

Beneath the surface of the Earth, the Earth’s core is extremely hot, with temperature reaching over 6,000°C. This heat is constantly moving towards the surface – it stays below the Earth’s crust and makes its way out very slowly Geothermal heat can be harnessed in different ways The first way to access it is with geothermal heat pumps – a pipe of water looped between buildings and through a hole dug deep underground This water is heated by the geothermal energy below the Earth’s surface and brings the warmth aboveground to the buildings. Geothermal energy can be used to heat houses, car parks, and pavements Another way to harvest geothermal energy is with steam In certain parts of the world, there is steam under the Earth’s crust that naturally rises to the surface, which can be piped into a powerplant In other places the ground is dry, so water has to be injected underground When this turns into steam and rises to the surface, it is used to turn a generator and create electricity.

Geothermal energy is clean, meaning it does not require any fuel, or release any harmful pollutants into the air However, it is only available in certain parts of the world, so this energy can’t be fully relied on In places where there is only dry heat under the ground, fresh water is being taken to make steam, which could have been used for drinking, hygiene, or cooking

Is continuing to use fossil fuels the only way?

For over a century, the human race has relied on fossil fuels to generate the energy needed to power our cars, planes, buses, manufacturing, and business. We have begun to rely too heavily on these materials, which are slowly depleting, and destroying our planet in the process

Fossil fuels are undoubtedly extremely harmful to the environment They release dangerous chemicals into water and air While this harms aquatic life, it also poses risk for humans who unknowingly use that water for drinking, bathing and more. The terrible affect that fossil fuels are having on our planet’s air is colossal, and is not only bad now, but is predicted to get worse

The sun ’ s heat is being trapped around us, and our planet is suffocated because of it

In 2018, more than 8 million people were thought to have died due to pollution from fossil fuels The creatures that inhabit this planet are having their ecosystems taken b h l l i i d

However, as a planet, we are constantly developing As population levels rise, we have more needs to be met, which means that cutting out fossil fuels completely is impossible While the other options such as wind power and geothermal energy are helping, we must make a dramatic change in our lifestyles to reach a better future More sustainable energy must be used, but sadly there is not enough for the planet to rely on it as our only source of power

I believe that companies need to find a way to make the extracting process of fossil fuels much more environmentally friendly, and that they must be used in moderation In the meantime, the Earth needs to put more trust in sustainable sources of energy.