2-2 Journal BIO 120
General Biology I (Southern New Hampshire University)
Fossil Fuels are carbon rich matter that is buried deep in the Earth. Over a long period of
time the Earths heat and pressure turns it into fossil fuels. These carbon rich deposits are then
dug up and burned for energy. Fossil fuels are an unsustainable form of energy because if we
keep using them, they will eventually run out and change the composition of the Earths
atmospheres. Fossil fuels are also nonrenewable sources of energy so once they are gone there's
no getting them back. They also account for producing energy to 80% of the world. Fossil fuels
consist of coal, oil and gas. The compound produced by combustion of fossil fuels is carbon
dioxide. The consequences of this compound are global warming, pollution, food shortages,
wildfires, headaches, nausea and asphyxia. By using fossil fuels not only are companies polluting
the earth by not regulating their disposal methods but also by making the air we breathe toxic.
There are many alternative sources of energy, and some are more common than you
think. Solar and wind are the two major ones that we see on a day-to-day basis. There is also
hydroelectric like the Hoover dam in Las Vegas, Nevada which is not based on carbon just like
solar and wind power. However, these renewable energy methods are only used to produce about
12% of the United States energy. Why don’t we just put solar and wind turbines and dams all
over the world? Solar only works where the sun shines and it is also very expensive to build let
alone ship to all over the world. Solar also needs a stable roof or ground to be built upon and
needs to be maintained and last only about 30 years. Wind turbines take up a lot of surface area
and cannot be built in the middle of cities or forests and need to be maintained and built as well.
The world is always in a water shortage and a lot of places do not have rivers or lakes to build a
dam, let alone the manpower and money to upkeep it.
Resources:
Carbon dioxide. Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2023, March 29).
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm#:~:text=These%20may%20in
clude%20headaches%2C%20dizziness,coma%2C%20asphyxia%2C%20and%20convulsio
ns.
Fossil fuels and climate change: The Facts. ClientEarth. (n.d.).
https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/stories/fossil-fuels-and-climate-
change the facts/#:~:text=When%20fossil%20fuels%20are%20burned,our%20atmosphere
%2C%20ca using%20global%20warming .
Soletair Power. (2023, March 7). Is indoor carbon dioxide really harmful to humans?. Soletair
Power. https://www.soletairpower.fi/is-indoor-carbon-dioxide-really-harmful-to humans/
#:~:text=Due%20to%20its%20molecular%20structure,2%20and%20other%20gre enhouse
%20gases.
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - independent statistics and analysis. Renewable
energy explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (n.d.).
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/renewable-sources/
