FOSSIL FUELS

Fossil Fuels Have No Future

Fossil Fuels Have No Future

Introduction

Fossil fuels, deriving their name from the ancient remains of organic matter from which they are formed, represent the major energy source in the world today. A nonrenewable resource, fossil fuels exist in finite amounts in the earth's crust. The most widely extracted and economically viable fossil fuels are coal, petroleum (crude oil), and natural gas. All fossil fuels began as living plants and cellular animals; petroleum as microscopic plants and bacteria, natural gas as plankton and algae, and coal as more dense and fibrous trees and ferns. When these living organisms died, they settled to the bottom of the seas (in the case of oil and natural gas) and swamps (in the case of coal). Over many millions of years, layers of sedimentary material settled above this organic material. As the immense weight of the above-lying sediments increased over time, the resulting pressure and heat transformed the organic source materials into hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons, forming the basis of all fossil fuels, have a molecular structure made up of mainly carbon and hydrogen (David, 2007, pp: 51).

Starting in the late 18th century with the Industrial Revolution, the global economy has increasingly relied on fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. In the future, the global economy will run out of these fuels. In the meantime, some scientists argue that dependence on fossil fuels has contributed to global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), founded in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, argues that measurable global warming has occurred, and that humans are at least partially to blame (David, 2007, pp: 56).

Discussion

Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

The phrase Alternative energy implies that these energy sources are alternatives to nuclear and traditional fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, or natural gas. Alternative energy, therefore, is a catchall category of energy sources that proponents argue can replace traditional fossil fuels in daily life, while causing less harm to the environment.

Alternative energy is increasingly important for at least three reasons. First, fossil fuels are nonrenewable; eventually, they will be exhausted. The United Kingdom is already witnessing a decline in its petroleum production. In 1950, the United Kingdom was largely self-sufficient in fossil fuels, producing 32,562,667 billion Btus of energy. At the same time, U.K consumed 31,631,956 billion Btus of fossil fuels. The United Kingdom therefore enjoyed a slight fossil fuel surplus. Now, fossil fuel consumption in the United Kingdom far outstrips production. In 2006, the United Kingdom produced 56,032,329 billion Btus of fossil fuels, but consumed 84,760,343 billion Btus. Advocates of alternative energy argue that alternative energy sources need to be developed now, so that when fossil fuels are gone, there will be other dependable energy resources (David, 2007, pp: 151).

Second, many advocates of alternative energy argue that as oil production declines, United Kingdom and others around the world will become increasingly reliant on foreign sources of ...