Fossil Fuels – Grave Environmental Concern
Fossil Fuels formed by natural resources of anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, contains a high percentage of carbon and hydrocarbons. The age of the organisms and resultant fossil fuels exceed 650 million years.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources as they take millions of years to be created. They are being depleted much faster than being formed. So they ought to be judiciously used. The use of fossil fuels is a grave environmental concern.
The burning of fossil fuels produces around 21.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and natural processes can only absorb half of this amount. This means that there is a net increase of 10.65 billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide every year.
Carbon dioxide as one of the greenhouse gases enhancing radiative forces contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium that are released into the atmosphere. The world is thinking anew about tapping renewable energy to help meet needs.
The United States emits more than 90% of greenhouse gases from combustion of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels produces air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. They also generate sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources as they take millions of years to be created. They are being depleted much faster than being formed. So they ought to be judiciously used. The use of fossil fuels is a grave environmental concern.
The burning of fossil fuels produces around 21.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and natural processes can only absorb half of this amount. This means that there is a net increase of 10.65 billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide every year.
Carbon dioxide as one of the greenhouse gases enhancing radiative forces contributes to global warming. Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium that are released into the atmosphere. The world is thinking anew about tapping renewable energy to help meet needs.
The United States emits more than 90% of greenhouse gases from combustion of fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels produces air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. They also generate sulfuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment.