Fossil fuel is a type of fuel that take million of years to form under extreme natural pressure and heat that is found near earth crust. It is formed from the remains of dead plants and animals.
Fossil fuels are coal, petroleum, natural gas etc. which is very useful to the mankind as it when burned produce tremendous amount of energy.
The energy that is produced from the fossil fuel can be used in various ways like producing electricity, as a fuel for automobiles etc.
Fossil fuels are considered as non-renewable resources as they can’t be produced by human being and it takes million of years to form that too near earth crust under natural pressure and tremendous heat.
For centuries human beings has used fossil fuels as their main source of energy. A small amount of fossil fuel when burned releases a big amount of energy. Fossil fuel is precious to mankind and it is been used by man for centuries.
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How Fossil Fuels is formed?
Fossil fuels take million of years to form. It is the remains of living organisms such as plants and animals which with years turns into crude oil, coal etc.
Fossil fuels needs natural pressure and tremendous heat to form and this can only be found inside the earth specifically near earth’s crust.
Fossil fuels are formed differently depending upon the heat and pressure they are getting. Coal is formed under the ocean floor where plants are submerged and covered by the layers of sand. Very slowly over the years, the submerged plants turned into coal.
Petroleum is formed when the decayed plant and animals are buried under the earth and after receiving heat and pressure that also in the absence of oxygen, forms into oil like substance which is known as crude oil or petroleum.
So, in other words fossil fuels take million of years to form under right amount of heat and pressure found near the earth’s crust. Once all the fossil fuels are over, it will take million of years for them to be formed again.
Fossil fuel – Its uses
Form the moment mankind learned about the usefulness of fossil fuels, they started to use it. It is mainly used to produce energy.
In fact it is the main source of producing energy till today’s date. Fossil fuels are used in industries to give it energy and power so that it can run smoothly.
When compared to its usefulness, the price that is paid by the industrialists to buy fossil fuel is quite cheap.
Even though it is a non – renewable resources, there is still plenty of it is left inside the earth which once accessed, can easily be distributed throughout the whole world by human beings.
No other resource can replace the importance of fossil fuel to the mankind till today’s date.
Scientists all over the world are trying to find a suitable replacement for fossil fuel but they have found none that can produce as much energy as burning a small amount of fossil fuel produces.
Effects of using Fossil fuel
Even though fossil fuels have much usefulness to the mankind, it also has some harmful side effects too. Fossil fuel in a way is both good and bad as it has both positive and negative effects. Fossil fuels are the main reason behind air pollution.
Another main side effect of fossil fuel is the gases that it emits when it is being burned. Some of these gases are – carbon dioxide, nitrogen etc.
All these gases are harmful for the Earth if the percentage in which it exists increases, which it already has and due to that Earth is already facing some problems which is harmful for all the living and non – living beings of Earth.
Carbon dioxide – a gas released when fossil fuels are burned, traps the heat that is given out by the sun into Earth’s atmosphere which in return results in increase in Earth’s temperature which is known as Global Warming.
Due to global warming, the ice that is present in the mountains is turning into water which is making the water level to rise.
Acid rain is another side effect of fossil fuel. Some of the gases that emits during the burning of fossil fuels are nitrogen, sulphur etc. which after reacting with the present gases and water in the atmosphere turns into acid and when these acids fall in the earth’s surface as rain, which is called Acid rain.
Sometimes human beings cut even mountain tops in the process of extracting fossil fuels which in turn leads to deforestation and endangering the lives of plants and animals.
Even though scientists have found other ways of producing energy, people are still using fossil fuel as their main source.
Human beings are somewhat turning blind eyes to the effect that is being caused by the use of fossil fuels. It is time for human beings to wake up and see what using of fossil fuels is doing to our Mother Earth.
Conclusion
Fossil fuels which formed million of years ago are used as the main source of energy. From the moment human beings found out about its usefulness, they have used it.
However, people till one or two decades back, ignored the harm that burning of fossil fuels were doing to our planet.
Now that the world knows of the effects of fossil fuels, people are still using it as their main source of energy. At the rate human beings are going, there won’t be any more fossil fuels left in a few decades starting from now as it takes decades to form.
We are also polluting our planet at such a rate that our future generation will pay for this. Fossil fuels once were good for the planet but that good came at a price which is quite high for human to pay.
If this continues on, then the price human beings have to pay is the extinction of living organisms from the face of the earth which will be completely human beings fault.
Mother earth has given us everything and we should start o value that now.
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