Ecology Essay Example: Fossil Fuels as a Source of Energy

According to Zappa and Marcia, Fossil fuel is a term used to describe a group of energy sources that arise from the subjection of plant and organisms into intense heat and pressure many years ago. The earth was covered by swamps with leafy plants and small micro-organisms. When the organisms and plants died they sank to the bottom of the swamps and oceans thus forming layers of spongy layer called peat. Over years the peat was covered with sand, clay, and other minerals to form sedimentary rocks. This results in the formation of different fossil fuels over time due to the difference in the composition of the organic matter present in the period of being buried, the prevailing temperatures of the place and the pressure exerted on the decomposing matter.

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Fossil fuels are the worlds most dominant source of energy as it comprises of 82% of the overall global energy supply. Countries that dont produce oil hold most of the oil reserves and the energies have continued to power industrialization in the nations. The fossil fuels have a variety of uses that range from the production of electricity to the provision of transport fuel used by vehicles and other locomotives. Moreover, these fossil fuels are also used as raw materials in the production of commonly used products such as plastics, detergents and also some medicines.

Other fossil fuels such as coal are the most abundant and commonly used source of oil while others such as oil have varying costs depending on the geographical location where they are being sold. Therefore, geopolitical issues arise due to the allocation of these valuable resources geographically on the surface of the earth. These fuels are non-renewable meaning that they cannot be reused as they have taken millions of years to form. Fossil fuels are the common causes of the greenhouse effect due to the production of carbon dioxide and that has brought about climate change that has great effects on both human health and the environment.

Therefore, these concerns have triggered the world to start looking for other sources of energy that are renewable and less harmful to the environment and humans. Also, the gradual depletion of the fossil fuels has made companies look for other sources of fuel such as the nuclear energy that are renewable but with greater impact on the environment and the human life and also involve high costs of production.

Fossil fuels are of three types; the first type of fossil fuel is coal that is formed from ferns, plants, and trees that have hardened over time due to pressure. The other type of fossil fuel is oil that forms from small organisms such as zooplanktons and algae. As a result of intense pressure and heat exerted on these organic matters, they decompose further into oils. The third type of fossil fuels is the natural gas. This is a form of fossil fuel that undergoes the same process as oil but its process is longer and the oils are subjected to higher amounts of pressure and heat that causing further decomposition to form natural gas.

Fossil fuels have a number of advantages as argued by Petrakis and Allen with the first advantage of fossil fuels as the aspect of producing large amounts of energy due to their combustibility thus making combustion engines to just use a little of the energy to power up the second advantage of fossil fuels is that they are easily available because of their extraction that is done every day. Fossil fuels are also very stable because they are made up of carbon and hydrogen molecules. They also have a high calorific value thus making them more effective as compared to other fuels. Lastly, fossil fuels can be easily transported and stored due to their high composition stability.

According to Pool and Robert, fossil fuels have a number of disadvantages with the first one being that they pose environmental hazards since thy emit carbon dioxide that is toxic when burnt. These fossil fuels also cause acid rains because they produce sulphur dioxide when burnt that is a factor in the formation of acid rain. Fossil fuels are also non-renewable and their continued use would deplete them one day as they take long to form. The other disadvantage of fossil fuel is that they affect marine life when they spill in the waters in the cause of their transportation. These oils have toxic components that affect the marine life when mixed with water.

Fossil fuels are good and also have their side effects when used. According to Owen and David, the side effects of fossil fuels overcome their advantages and therefore there is the need to replace them with energy resources that are recyclable, cheap and have less hazardous effects to both the environment and the human life.

References

Owen, David. The Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse. New York: Riverhead Books, 2012. Print.

Petrakis, L, and D Allen. Nmr for Liquid Fossil Fuels. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 2012. Internet resource.

Zappa, Marcia. Fossil Fuels. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co, 2011. Internet resource.

Pool, Robert. The Nexus of Biofuels, Climate Change, and Human Health: Workshop Summary. , 2014.