Fossil fuels - Revision history

Elie: /* Other pollution */

2024-02-09T06:14:08Z

Other pollution

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:14, 9 February 2024
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	Mitigation		Mitigation
	* Cars and trucks already have catalytic converters that eliminate some of this pollution - but not all of it.		* Cars and trucks already have catalytic converters that eliminate some of this pollution - but not all of it.
	* For coal power plants, [[clean coal\|newer technologies]] could avoid most of this pollution (but ~~still~~ not the CO<sub>2</sub> that causes climate change).		* For coal power plants, [[clean coal\|newer technologies]] could avoid most of this pollution (but not the CO<sub>2</sub> that causes climate change).

	===Scarcity===		===Scarcity===

Elie at 06:10, 30 August 2023

2023-08-30T06:10:17Z

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ===Scarcity===
 {{basically|Eventual problem}}
-Oil reserves are [[peak oil|expected to run out]] in less than a century, by most estimates.{{qn}} Coal and natural gas are similar.
+Oil reserves are [[peak oil|expected to run out]] in less than a century, by most estimates. Coal and natural gas are similar. {{qn}}
 Fossil fuels are not considered renewable{{x|despite being fossilized organic matter that was originally dead plants & animals}}, because existing oil reserves took millions of years to form.
-Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.reserves|(tonnes per capita)(world.population)}}. Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person {{ecalc|oil.production|(lbs/day per capita)(world.population)}}. Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.
+{{dp
 ==Non-energy usage==
-Fossil fuels are also used in making [[plastic]], most of which is [[packaging|disposable]]. Other uses include making thousands of different chemicals, but together they add up to only a small fraction of fossil fuel consumption. {{qn}}
+* Fossil fuels are also used in making [[plastic]], most of which is [[packaging|disposable]].
 <!-- TODO: elaborate and split into subsections "plastic" and "other" -->
@@ Line 53: / Line 77: @@
 Fossil fuels can also be used to make [[hydrogen gas]].
 -->

Elie: /* Climate change */

2023-08-30T05:52:50Z

Climate change

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:52, 30 August 2023
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	[[File:fossil-fuels-ghg-by-energy.png\|thumb\|For the same amount of [[energy]], coal emits more carbon than oil, and oil emits more carbon than natural gas.]]		[[File:fossil-fuels-ghg-by-energy.png\|thumb\|For the same amount of [[energy]], coal emits more carbon than oil, and oil emits more carbon than natural gas.]]
	[[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png\|thumb\|left\|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]]		[[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png\|thumb\|left\|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]]
	'''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.'''		'''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.'''<br />
			<small>And it's unlikely that [[carbon capture and storage]] would ever be able to store that much CO<sub>2</sub> in the ground.</small>
	<div style="clear:both"></div>		<div style="clear:both"></div>

Elie: /* Climate change */

2023-08-01T03:59:18Z

Climate change

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:59, 31 July 2023
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	[[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png\|thumb\|left\|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]]		[[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png\|thumb\|left\|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]]
	'''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.'''		'''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.'''
			<div style="clear:both"></div>

	===Other pollution===		===Other pollution===

Elie: /* Climate change */

2023-08-01T03:58:05Z

Climate change

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ===Climate change===
 {{basically|Major problem|bad}}
-Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.
+[[File:fossil-fuels-ghg-by-energy.png|thumb|For the same amount of [[energy]], coal emits more carbon than oil, and oil emits more carbon than natural gas.]]
-<!-- Over 75% of all [[climate change|greenhouse gas emissions]] are due to burning fossil fuels. -->
+[[File:Emissions-by-sector-–-pie-charts.png|thumb|left|73% of all [[greenhouse gas]] emissions are due to burning fossil fuels.]]
+'''Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of [[climate change]], due to the CO<sub>2</sub> it releases into the atmosphere.'''
 ===Other pollution===

Elie: /* Climate change */

2023-05-20T20:56:57Z

Climate change

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 <!-- Over 75% of all [[climate change|greenhouse gas emissions]] are due to burning fossil fuels. -->
-For the same amount of energy, coal releases about twice as much CO<sub>2</sub> as natural gas, and oil is somewhere in between.
+For the same amount of [[energy]],
-<!-- TODO: add numbers, including for natural gas fugitive methane emissions in CO2eq -->
+* coal releases about twice as much CO<sub>2</sub> as natural gas
 ===Other pollution===

Elie at 01:09, 7 May 2023

2023-05-07T01:09:54Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for [[energy]]. They currently provide over 80% of the world's [[energy]], but at a '''heavy environmental cost:''' pollution and [[climate change]]. Over 75% of all [[climate change|greenhouse gas emissions]] are due to burning fossil fuels.
+Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for [[energy]]. They currently provide over 80% of the world's [[energy]], but at a heavy environmental cost.
-==How much is there==
+[[Category:Energy sources]]
 Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.reserves|(tonnes per capita)(world.population)}}. Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person {{ecalc|oil.production|(lbs/day per capita)(world.population)}}. Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.
 ==Chemistry==
 Fossil fuel molecules are mainly hydrocarbons.
@@ Line 16: / Line 53: @@
 Fossil fuels can also be used to make [[hydrogen gas]].
 ==Origins==
 Coal and oil are formed from organic material (mostly plants, sometimes dead animals) that got buried in the Earth millions of years ago.

Elie: Created page with "Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for energy. They currently provide over 80% of the world's energy, but at a '''heavy environmental cost:''' pollution and climate change. Over 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions are due to burning fossil fuels. ==How much is there== Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.re..."

2022-05-31T03:34:46Z

Created page with "Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for energy. They currently provide over 80% of the world's energy, but at a '''heavy environmental cost:''' pollution and climate change. Over 75% of all greenhouse gas emissions are due to burning fossil fuels. ==How much is there== Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.re..."

New page

Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas. They occur naturally in the Earth, and can be burned for [[energy]]. They currently provide over 80% of the world's [[energy]], but at a '''heavy environmental cost:''' pollution and [[climate change]]. Over 75% of all [[climate change|greenhouse gas emissions]] are due to burning fossil fuels.

==How much is there==

Globally, per person, there is about 31 tonnes of oil (recoverable) somewhere in the Earth. {{ecalc|oil.reserves|(tonnes per capita)(world.population)}}. Average production is about 1.5 kg/day per person {{ecalc|oil.production|(lbs/day per capita)(world.population)}}. Rich countries consume a lot more, poor countries use a lot less.

==Chemistry==
Fossil fuel molecules are mainly hydrocarbons.

[[File:fossil-fuel-molecules.png|alt=Methane (main component of natural gas), ethane, propane, octane (component of gasoline)]]

Burning fossil fuels ''perfectly'', produces [[climate change|carbon dioxide]] and water vapor.
: Example: Methane (natural gas):
:: CH4 + 2 O2   ->   CO2 + 2 H2O   (exothermic: 890290 J/mol)
Imperfect combustion produces other substances such as carbon ''monoxide''.

Fossil fuels can also be used to make [[hydrogen gas]].

==Non-energy usage==

Fossil fuels are also used in making [[plastic]], some of which is [[packaging|disposable]]. Other uses include making thousands of different chemicals, but together they add up to only a small fraction of fossil fuel consumption. {{qn}}

==Origins==

Coal and oil are formed from organic material (mostly plants, sometimes dead animals) that got buried in the Earth millions of years ago.