Introduction As the world is becoming more advanced in technology, more energy is being used to keep up with the changing requirements. At the current rate at which energy is being used, the world will shortly come to an end of fossil fuels- the world's primary energy resource. Abstract This research paper outlines the problems being faced by the shortage of fossil fuels, the effects they are having on the environment and the possible substitutes to make sure they do not run out.
Fossil Fuels There are three main types of fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas.After food, fossil uel is humanity's most important source of energy. Coal is used mainly to produce electricity. It provides light, motive power from electric motors and many electronic devices. Oil provides mobility for cars, planes, trains, trucks and boats. Natural gas is used primarily to produce heat for buildings, hot water, and industrial processes.
All three were formed many hundreds of millions of years ago. They are called "fossil fuels" because they have been formed from the fossilised remains of prehistoric plants and animals.Energy Fossil fuels provide around 66% of the world's electrical power, and 95% of the orld's total energy demands (including heating, transport, electricity generation and other uses). Coal provides around 28% of energy, oil provides 40% and natural gases provide about 20%.
A concern is that the fossil fuels are being used up at an increasing rate, and that they will soon run out. If these fossil fuels were to run out now there would not be a suitable replacement for them that is equally as efficient at producing the same amount of energy.Shortage of fossil fuels As the world is coming to a shortage of these three types of fossil fuels, other fossil uels are being investigated, including bituminous sands and oil shale. The difficulty years, various predictions have been made about the supply of crude oil. According to these fgures, oil should have run out by now.
At the moment only as much oil that is being found is being used. As technology improves, new oil fields are discovered and small fields can be exploited more economically. People are also using energy more efficiently to heat their homes and factories, so using up less fuel.The oil companies are making sure that there is less waste in the production of oil from ells; Vapour is even being collected from delivery tankers when storage tanks are filled. One of many problems is that all fossil fuels and biomasses consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Burning coal produces carbon dioxide, among other by-products. Some scientists believe that due to the widespread use of coal and other fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere could increase to such an extent that changes in the earth's climate will occur.Before humans were around on the earth, there was a fairly even recycling of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Plants require carbon dioxide to live, and they emit oxygen in return. Animals, on the other hand, need oxygen, but exhale carbon dioxide.
But as humans began to burn fossil fuels to create energy, more and more carbon dioxide was emitted into the air until the balance was slowly destroyed. Small particulates that are a result of burning fossil fuels can become trapped in the human respiratory system.These particulates can cause coughing and damage to the lungs, they can also lead to cancer and lung disease. Carbon monoxide is also produced when less oxygen is available when burning the fuels. Carbon monoxide is also produced and is more harmful to humans because it is odourless, colourless, and reduces the body's ability to carry oxygen, this can lead to fatigue, nausea, and headaches.
Renewable energy is any source of energy that can be used without depleting its reserves.Fossil fuels are not a renewable energy resource. The world? use of fossil fuels has nearly doubled every 20 years since 1900. This is a particular problem for oil because it is also used to make plastics and many other products and soon there will be no longer enough oil to continuously meet the demands for it. Not only will there not be enough oil, coal and natural gases are also becoming very scarce.
About 80% of the world's commercial energy comes from non-renewable fossil fuels.Share of world energy use (1996) Petroleum geologists have known for 50 years that global oil production would hit the highest point and begin its inevitable decline within a decade of the year 2000. Furthermore, no renewable energy systems have the potential to generate more than a fraction of the power now being generated by fossil fuels. Obviously oil cannot be used forever, it will eventually be used up.
In the meantime, oil companies are carrying out research into new energy supplies and ways of saving energy.
