Topic

Historical Reason Due to the Industrial Revolution fossil fuels have been necessary to power the booming industries but this was not the beginning of their use. The Chinese first started using coal to smelt Copper 3000 years ago. Ancient Civilizations located near the Euphrates River used oil that collected in seeps for lighting and medicine. The use of Natural Gas date back to Persians who used the eternal fires for worship. Geography Coal- Coal is found on every continent in the world. Oil- Oil reserves are most concentrated in South America and in the Middle East. Natural Gas- Gas reserves are found more commonly than Oil.

Fuel Efficiency Fossil Fuels are high density which means that for their small amount of mass they produce a large amount of energy Coal % Oil % Natural Gas % Fossil Fuels Types of Fossil FuelsEnergy Density By Mass (MJ/kg) Coal, anthracite31.4 Diesel45.3 Gasoline, automotive45.8 Gasoline, aviation43.1 Kerosene46.3 Oil, crude(petroleum)41.9 Oil, heating42.5 Natural Gas55.0

Expensive and Dangerous Highly explosive Prices for fuel is very expensive The volume of fuel needed to run power plants is massive Extreme safety measures are needed when storing fuel Transport Oil tanker ships have a possibility of sinking and leaking Oil containers are known to explode Oil pipe lines could leak and explode

All fossil fuels release Carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide Coal Mining Must be ventilated to rid poisonous and flammable gas Debris must be pumped to the surface Accidents can cause cave-ins and explosions Miners can get black lung disease Water erosion and Sulfur deposits Gas and Oil Drilling Oil blowouts still happen when the pressure of the reservoir exceeds the drill hole pressure Modern air guns have an effect on marine life