Fossil fuels

Definition

‘Fossil fuels, including oil, coal and natural gas, are non-renewable resources that were formed over millions of years from the fossilised remains of prehistoric plants and animals. They are drilled or mined from the Earth to be used as sources of energy, powering things like electricity, heat and transportation.’

Source:  Energy.gov

Explainer

Since the Industrial Revolution, we have relied on fossil fuels to provide most of our energy needs — even today, about ⅘ of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels possess a high carbon content, and their extraction, production and use have had extremely harmful effects on the environment, including land degradation, water pollution, air pollution, GHG emissions, ocean acidification and global warming, not to mention their many negative impacts on human health. They are the largest driver of climate change.