Fossil Fuels
The energy sources that powered the industrial revolution - and the climate challenge they created.
🪨 Coal
Formed from ancient plant matter over ~300 million years. Produces the most CO₂ per unit of energy. Still supplies ~36% of global electricity. Declining sharply in Europe and the USA but growing in parts of Asia.
🛢️ Crude Oil
Formed from ancient marine organisms under heat and pressure. Refined into petrol, diesel, jet fuel, plastics, and petrochemicals. About 100 million barrels consumed daily globally. OPEC+ controls a major fraction of global supply.
💨 Natural Gas
Primarily methane (CH₄). Burns cleaner than coal or oil (half the CO₂ of coal per kWh). Used for heating, electricity generation, and as a chemical feedstock. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) unlocked vast new reserves in the USA.
🌡️ Climate Impact
Burning fossil fuels releases CO₂ and other greenhouse gases, trapping heat in the atmosphere. Since industrialization, atmospheric CO₂ has risen from ~280 ppm to 420 ppm+. Global average temperatures have risen ~1.2°C.
🔬 Carbon Capture (CCS)
Technology to capture CO₂ from power plant or industrial exhaust (point-source CCS), or directly from the atmosphere (Direct Air Capture). Currently expensive (~$100–400/tonne CO₂) but improving. Considered a bridge technology.
⛽ Petroleum Products
Crude oil is refined into hundreds of products: gasoline (~44%), diesel (~22%), jet fuel (~9%), heating oil, lubricants, asphalt, and the feedstocks for most plastics and synthetic materials.
🌊 Environmental Spills
Oil spills from tankers and drilling platforms cause severe ecological damage. The Deepwater Horizon spill (2010) released 4.9 million barrels into the Gulf of Mexico. The Exxon Valdez (1989) devastated Alaskan coastlines.
📉 The Energy Transition
Global investment in clean energy surpassed fossil fuel investment in 2023. Coal demand may be peaking globally. Oil demand could peak this decade in optimistic scenarios. The IEA says no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with net-zero by 2050.