Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels

  • Fossil fuels are the product of millions of years of photosynthesis

    stored and processed under heat and pressure

  • Most fuel is found in rocks from about 50-450 million years ago

Review

  • Energy basics

  • Estimation techniques

  • Laws of thermodynamics

  • Carbon, photosynthesis, and combustion

Fossil Fuels

  • where do we get them

  • how do we use them

  • why are they useful

  • how are they harmful

  • fossil fuel etymology latin fodere dig fossilis dug up

Types of Fossil Fuels

  • Coal

  • Petroleum

  • Natural Gas

Impacts of a Global Fossil Fuel Network

  • Fossil fuels are being extracted, processed, and used all over the world

  • Who bears the burden of the consequences?

  • Who benefits from their use?

  • Where are these consequences located?

Origin of Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuel Molecules

Petroleum prices

Certain prices are indexed and recorded

Bloomberg Energyarrow-up-right

Petroleum use

EIA

Natural gas prices currently low

Source: EIA

Pollution effects

  • Carbon dioxide climate

  • Particulates

  • Acid rain

    Impacts of extraction methods

  • exxon valdez 1989 prince william sound, alaska

  • deepwater horizon explosion 2010

  • sago mine 2006 disaster

    Fossil Fuel Subsidies

  • exploration expensing

  • unpriced externalities

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