Fossil Fuels
Coal, oil and natural gas formed from ancient living things and provide most of our energy but release carbon dioxide when burned.
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Coal, oil and natural gas formed from ancient living things and provide most of our energy but release carbon dioxide when burned.
- Finite resources
- Burning causes air pollution
- Oil is used for plastics too
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Fossil Fuels?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Fossil Fuels. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Fossil Fuels in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Fossil Fuels helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Fossil Fuels in detail
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient plants and marine organisms buried and subjected to heat and pressure. They are rich in energy and provide about 80% of the world's energy for electricity, transport, heating and industry.
Burning them releases carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, and pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (acid rain), nitrogen oxides and particulates, which harm health. Extraction can damage landscapes and cause oil spills. They are non-renewable and will eventually be depleted. Moving away from fossil fuels is central to tackling climate change.
How the interactive helps you understand Fossil Fuels
Watch the energy stores in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the energy stores responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Fossil Fuels.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain how Fossil Fuels affects the landscape or climate near you.
- Link Fossil Fuels to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
- Use a diagram of Fossil Fuels to describe the steps of a process in order.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Fossil Fuels
What is Fossil Fuels?
Coal, oil and natural gas formed from ancient living things and provide most of our energy but release carbon dioxide when burned.
What are the most important points about Fossil Fuels?
The main points are: Finite resources; Burning causes air pollution; Oil is used for plastics too.
Why is Fossil Fuels useful?
Understanding Fossil Fuels helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Fossil Fuels?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Fossil Fuels?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Wind Power, Nuclear Energy, Waste and Pollution.