What Is a Fossil Fuel? The Politics-Free Answer

We live in an era where almost everything has political connotations. Say the word table, and emotions will run inexplicably high. In the case of fossil fuels, the emotional element can be a bit overwhelming, if not frankly frightening. But strip away all that nonsense, and there is some genuinely fascinating science to be discovered. From ancient organic remains to mass industrialization to the climate of the planet, a fundamental understanding of this arena can be rather enlightening. So what is a fossil fuel? Here is the politics-free answer.

 

The General Concept

Fossil fuels are derived from the ancient remains of plant and animal matter. By ancient, we’re talking about organisms that lived and died around 300 million years ago. The term fossil in this case may be a bit of a misnomer, as although the remains are definitely old, they are not fossils per se. Over time, these remains have been covered by layers of inorganic matter like sand, clay, etc. This process deprives the decomposing organisms of oxygen and also applies a significant amount of pressure and heat. What results are substances that are rich in hydrogen and carbon, also called hydrocarbons.  (Other components also exist, though to a lesser extent.)

Hydrocarbons are very amenable to combustion. In other words, when exposed to oxygen under the proper conditions, one result is heat. This heat can be put to various uses. As an example, it can be used to convert water to steam which then powers steam turbines that result in electricity generation. Another key byproduct of combustion is carbon dioxide.

Although the process of fossil fuel creation is ongoing, because our rate of usage far exceeds the extremely slow rate of generation, the term nonrenewable has been applied.

 

More Specifics

Three key fossil fuels have helped to create our modern world as we know it, one defined by easy access to electricity and numerous transportation options. Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are so entrenched in our day-to-day lives that we generally don’t even notice them. To give them a little more of a shout out, let’s break them down just a tiny bit. As always, classification and terminology can get murky, and what follows is an oversimplification.

Coal 

Coal forms from plant material that lived in or near wetlands millions of years ago (and subsequently underwent the process above). The solid rock is found throughout the world, and it is viewed as inseparable from the Industrial Revolution, both in Great Britain and the United States. While still a major source of global electricity generation, its relative share has dropped in recent years due to competition from other sources.

Petroleum

Petroleum forms from organisms such as zooplankton and algae that lived in salt water environments. Over millions of years, the liquid we know rather well was formed. Found in many parts of the world, crude oil falls in this category and serves as the basis for gasoline, diesel, and asphalt (among others).

Petroleum-based products are also used in a vast array of other products, with just a few examples including plastics, tires, clothing, and pharmaceuticals.

Natural Gas

Natural gas forms from similar organic matter as that which leads to petroleum. In the case of natural gas, the predominant hydrocarbon is methane, which due to its lower density can be found above petroleum deposits. Isolated natural gas can also be found in deep underground rock formations throughout the world. Widely used for residential heating, natural gas also has numerous other uses, including serving as a source of hydrogen.

 

The Consequences

The extraction of fossil fuels, which are usually not found in the easiest of all locations to access, can have various environmental impacts. One example would be leaks, which can distribute hydrocarbons to locations where they were not meant to be.

As fossil fuels are not pure hydrocarbons, their combustion can release compounds such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that contribute to smog and exacerbate human respiratory illnesses.

Perhaps the most discussed consequence of fossil fuel combustion is the release of carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and its increased presence in the atmosphere has been associated with a surprising increase in average global temperatures. (In the case of natural gas, the methane itself can be leaked into the atmosphere and act as a greenhouse gas.) This phenomenon can have far-reaching consequences including rising sea levels, habitat disruption, and severe weather patterns.

Such knowledge has resulted in a focus on concepts such as carbon footprint and carbon neutrality. Renewable energy sources that don’t rely on fossil fuel combustion, such as solar and wind, have gained significant traction. To have such sources meet the world’s current energy demands will clearly take time.

 

Had you lived 300 million years ago and consumed the precursors to coal, you might be considered healthy and trendy by today’s standards. Fast forward to now, and the solidified result of that hypothetical diet is perhaps not quite as fashionable. But it has gotten us to where we are. It just appears to be time to find a path that is closer to its natural roots.