Introduction
What are fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are energy-rich materials composed of hydrocarbons, and is an essential asset for it's crucial role of being a significant power source for the modern world. They form over millions of years from the remains of prehistoric plants, animals, and plankton. Through this prolonged process these remains experience heat, pressure and anaerobic decomposition-often linked to photosynthetic carbon fixation-and as a result it's organic materials become viable energy sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels can be found in large quantities beneath the earth and are extracted through various methods suited best to the type of fossil fuel. Once extracted they can be suited for various other purposes like energy generation, transportation, industrial applications and even cooking being the few notable uses.
It's history
Between the 18th and 19th century was when oil businesses were created, 1859 in particular was the beginning of oil businesses with the Drake Well being built. It was both an economic expansion and a technological innovation, given it had used a steam powered drill which made oil extraction at the time much more efficient and scalable. Leading to an economic expansion given the thousands of wells drilled in the following years. Later the oil from the Drake Well was refined into kerosene which became a dominant lighting fuel by the 1860s which eventually led to the increase of extraction and refining.This expansion eventually led to the beginning of the industrial revolution, it was during this time the steam engine was created and ran off coal. Machines and factories were built with the coal and steam power making rapid mass production possible. As a result transportation had changed completely, from steamships and steam-powered-trains people relied on this type of transportation given it's efficiency, with coal serving as it's main power source for their boilers to keep it running, more and more were produced and more technologies had risen because of it. Eventually came the automobile and airplanes, television and new industries, all having one thing in common, that being all were powered by fossil fuels either through electricity or combustion shaping the modern world making us dependent on fossil fuels.
Coal
Coal is primarily composed of carbon with the element making roughly about 50-98% of it's composition with smaller traces of other elements such as hydrogen (3-13%), oxygen, nitrogen and trace elements like sulfur. Coal comes from prehistoric plant matter that was compressed over time (few million years) typically extracted from underground mines and surface mines. Though due to it's high carbon content it also results in greater CO2 emissions. Coal is primarily used for electricity generation by being burnt in power plants to produce steam as well as industrial processes and heat due to it's reliability on providing baseload power and it's high energy density, making it one of the more extensively used fossil fuels making up 30% of fossil fuel use.
Oil
Oil's composition is largely made up of carbon with the element making roughly 83-87% making it one of the more consistent in it's carbon-content within it's composition. Within it's composition contains 10-14% hydrogen and small amounts of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen. Oil comes from prehistoric marine organisms that experienced high pressure and temperature. Oil has various extraction methods but the two more common ones are mechanical pumping and natural pressure. Oil is notably versatile given it's easy transport and portability due to it being a liquid and its high energy density. It's most significant use is for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and marine fuel as well as industrial uses and energy production though not to the same degree. It is also the most extensively used fossil fuel making up 40% of fossil fuel use.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is gaseous and given it's primarily methane (CH4, 70-90%), with smaller amounts of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10) and trace gases like CO2, N2, and H2S natural gas is notably the fossil fuel with the lowest carbon-content. In comparison to the others it is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel given it's high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio producing fewer pollutants than coal and oil. Though methane leaks during extraction and transport can offset this given methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Natural gas notably has more evident benefits than oil and coal partly because of it's low CO2 emissions, it is also versatile given it's gaseous as well as it is efficient. It's primary uses are residential heating, electricity generation and cooking.
It's effect and tolls
Each fossil fuel releases carbon dioxide when they are combusted, though the amount they do release varies given the differences in carbon-intensity. Regardless each contributes to the acceleration of climate change some notable effects being global warming, pollution and acid rain. Climate change is largely caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which is what the burning of fossil fuel is doing when combusted for energy. Concerningly it can in some cases also have traces of radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium (though not a primary inevitably reoccurring issue) and overall gradually compromising the health of both animals and humans as well as hindering the ability to grow crops.