13-07-2013, 12:14 PM
EXCESSIVE BURNING OF FOSSIL FUEL A THREAT TO ENVIRONMENT
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Introduction:
Coal, oil and natural gas are the three different forms of fossil fuels that are widely used. They are formed by the process of anaerobic decomposition of organic matter under the surface of the earth for millions of years. Large-scale use of fossil fuels started since the Industrial Revolution. Today, these are the most cheap sources of energy available for the use of both personal as well as commercial purposes. Petroleum is used to fuel our vehicles while coal and natural gas are used to produce electricity for our homes and offices. Statistics show that almost three-fourth of the demands of the energy in the world is fulfilled by fossil fuels.
The presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes our planet warmer than any other planet of the solar system. This is because it traps the heat obtained from sunlight and do not let it go beyond the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels releases a large amount of carbon dioxide into the air. When there is a significant rise in the percentage of carbon dioxide in the air, the amount of heat captured by the carbon dioxide gas also increases. This in turn leads to overall rise in the surface temperature of the earth which is also known as global warming.
Evidence obtained from various research studies suggest that since the middle of the nineteenth century, carbon dioxide content in the atmospheric air has increased at least, 25 percent. This is mainly because of excessive use of fossil fuels all across the globe. For this reason, in the last 150 years, the temperature of the earth has already gone up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit. It is estimated that the temperature is going to increase further in the next hundred years. Thus our planet will be much hotter in the next century.
Literature review:
Fossil fuels or mineral fuels are hydrocarbon fuels found within the top layer of the Earth’s crust. They range from highly volatile materials, such as methane, to liquid petroleum, to solids composed of almost pure carbon, such as anthracite coal. The term "fossil fuels" is based on the widely accepted theory that they were formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals,[1] during exposure to heat and pressure in the Earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.[2] This process of formation is known as the biogenic theory. An opposing theory, called the abiogenic theory, maintains that the more volatile hydrocarbons, especially natural gas, were produced from nonliving materials. Fossil fuels are of great importance because they can be burned (oxidized to carbon dioxide and water), producing significant amounts of energy. They are also the main source of raw materials for the petrochemical industry. The Energy Information Administration estimated that in 2005, 86 percent of primary energy production in the world came from burning fossil fuels.[3] The remaining sources of energy were hydroelectricity at 6.3 percent, nuclear power at 6.0 percent, and other sources (geothermal, solar, wind, wood, and waste) at 0.9 percent. Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to develop and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed. Concerns about fossil fuel supplies have been among the reasons for regional and global tensions and conflicts. The production and excessive use of fossil fuels have also raised environmental concerns. For example, it has been estimated that the burning of fossil fuels produces around 6.3 billion metric tons (or 6.3 gigatons) of carbon dioxide per year, but natural processes can absorb only about half that amount.[4] It is argued that excessive production of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, contributes to global warming. A global movement toward the generation of renewable energy is therefore under way to help meet increased energy needs.
Environmental effects:
In the United States, more than 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels.[5] Combustion of fossil fuels also produces other air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals.
According to Environment Canada:
“The electricity sector is unique among industrial sectors in its very large contribution to emissions associated with nearly all air issues. Electricity generation produces a large share of Canadian nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide emissions, which contribute to smog and acid rain and the formation of fine particulate matter. It is the largest uncontrolled industrial source of mercury emissions in Canada. Fossil fuel-fired electric power plants also emit carbon dioxide, which may contribute to climate change. In addition, the sector has significant impacts on water and habitat and species. In particular, hydro dams and transmission lines have significant effects on water and biodiversity”[5]
Combustion of fossil fuels generates sulphuric, carbonic, and nitric acids, which fall to Earth as acid rain, impacting both natural areas and the built environment. Monuments and sculptures made from marble and limestone are particularly vulnerable, as the acids dissolve calcium carbonate. Effecting colour of Taj mahal is also an effect of acid rain.
Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium, that are released into the atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 metric tons of thorium and 5,000 metric tons of uranium were released worldwide from burning coal.[6] It is estimated that during 1982, U.S. coal burning released 155 times as much radioactivity into the atmosphere as the Three Mile Island incident.[7]
Conclusion:
Excessive use of the fossil fuel has a significant negative effects on the environment. It not only effect aquatic life but also human life. It is now widely accepted that excessive burning of fossil fuels and the resultant CO2 gases produced has had a major impact on the world's climate. If this continues, scientists predict that it will cause irreversible damage, such as the melting of the polar ice caps. The planet's fossil fuel stock is a finite and depleting resource. Converting fossil fuels into energy creates bi-products that are harmful to the environment. This, together with increasing instability in the world's energy markets, makes a compelling case for renewable energy. We can recover the effects of burning fossil fuel by growing more trees and to focus on the biofuel instead of fossil fuel to neutralize net load on environment and to save our climate.