Introduction

The people on earth depend upon nature somehow. The raw resources that nature gives us are very precious and resourceful. The only resource we totally depend upon and used in our daily lives is fossil fuels. But with that resource, we had discovered a ticking doomsday. Let’s see some of the harmful effects of using fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuel

Fossils are dead organisms that undergo the decaying process and are present in the past. The past living creatures are found to be today’s fossils. Raw fossils are made into usable commodities by various processes like extraction, separation, drilling, fracking, chemical process, etc. Fossil fuels that are used today consist of three types. They are:

Coal
Petrol and
Gas

Coal

Underground coal mining area

Coal is a product that looks black in color and solid in shape. The process of obtaining coal consists of several processes. First, the extraction team finds the place that contains coal and then they set a perimeter and start digging the soil. They dig a tunnel to access the coal particles and extract them from the ground. This mining process continues and the tunnel goes longer and deeper underground. Coal mining is done by experienced workers who can deal with extreme pressure, etc. Coal consists of lots of carbon in it. They are combustible in nature and used for burning.

Coal is used in electric plants to generate electricity. By burning coal, the combustion converts water into high-pressure steam that turns the turbine which provides electricity.

Petroleum

Petroleum storing cans

Petroleum is a resource that is used in today’s world for transportation, industrial purpose, lubricant, etc. They are extracted from underground land and ocean floors by using machines. Their subproducts are oil, Petroleum jelly, etc. It is obtained from crude oil and hydrocarbons from natural gas. They are used as a fuel for machinery products like engines. With their durability and flammability nature, they are used worldwide for vehicles and generators.

Gas

Natural gas is a product that is invisible to the eyes but we can feel and sense it which is equally powerful to other fossil fuels. This fossil fuel is also obtained from drilling and they are stored in huge containers that are airtight. It is useful in power generation, heating, and transportation. Its subproduct of LPG is used in India for cooking purposes.

Harmful effects of Fossils

Electric plant polluting atmosphere

This wonderful fuel resource from nature has become a doom to us. The birth of the industrial revolution is the starting step for our doomsday. The idea of fossils that can turn into fuels gave humankind a chance to develop. But the development comes with a price. The burning of fossil fuels can pollute the environment and living things.

Coal mining itself is dangerous to human beings. When miners go underground, they breathe the air mixed with Coal particle dust. This dust goes into their lungs and their health is getting affected. The burning of coal can produce carbon which is a greenhouse gas that is bad for the atmosphere.

The industries that emit smoke use fossil fuels and pollute the environment and the air we breathe. These fuels should be handled with caution and care cause if a small mistake arises, the result will be catastrophic. The Bhopal gas leak, boiler explosion, oil spill in oceans, etc. are the real incidents that shook the people of earth. The extraction of fossil fuels affects the land and its surrounding area too. This fossil pollution is the main reason for the phenomenon of global warming.

Global warming is a phenomenon that happened because of the greenhouse gases emission from fossil fuels. The greenhouse gas is nothing but carbon, methane, nitrous oxide, Hydrogen, and chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are emitted from fossil fuels and when they reach the atmosphere, they trap the heat that should escape the earth. This constant trapping of heat warms the earth and this changes the climate.

With global warming, the icebergs in Greenland, and Antarctica start melting. This melting of ice changes into water and mixes with the sea and it rises the sea level. This phenomenon has already started and its result will be anticipated in our future. If the sea level rises, lands will be sunk and buildings too.

Carbon emission is observed by the ocean and it affects the ocean life cycle. This observation turns the ocean atmosphere acidic and by this, many aquatic creatures get affected. The more and more we pollute, the more we get bad results. Without using a single fossil fuel the world will go to its starting stage with no development. Scientists are on the way to finding a cure for this situation. If we fail and pollution increases in the future, humankind will become extinct and our earth will be like a wasteland.