Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels: Rape of Nature

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Fossil Fuels, which include coal, oil, and natural gas, are a non-renewable energy source that were formed from the decomposition of plants and animals that were deposited in the Earth around 300 million years ago. These fossil fuels, after being removed from the Earth, are converted into energy and this energy is essential to modern society (Chughtai & Shannon, 1998). Over 85 percent of America’s energy demands are met by the combustion of fossil fuels, which means that America requires large amounts of oil, coal, and natural gas in order to generate the power that is needed to keep the country in operation. Fossil fuels are used to power homes, heat homes, provide transportation, and to power exploration (Chughtai & Shannon, 1998). Without fuel there would be no energy and without energy the world would come to a virtual standstill. While fossil fuels have proven essential to the industrial revolution and the creation of society as we now know, fossil fuels pose a danger to the world, to the ecosystem, to animals, to plants, and to humans. The exploration and extraction of fossil fuels cause destruction to the natural environment and upsets ecosystems which can not only harm the natural beauty of the world, but can interrupt the food chain which is essential to life.

The Impact of Exploration and Extraction The destructive power of fossil fuel exploration and extraction is a major concern for environmentalists and starts with how each fossil fuel is discovered and removed from the Earth. Because of the destructive nature of fossil fuel exploration and extraction environmental groups around the world are trying to show the negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment. Environmental groups are trying to block oil exploration in the Georges Bank, a vast underwater plateau that stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia and has been among the

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