 The Open Door Web Site |
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Problems and Concerns caused by Human Influences on the Environment Fossil Fuels We need energy every day of our lives. Our own personal energy comes from the food which we eat. We also need energy to help us cook, to keep warm and to light our homes and streets. Industry needs energy to keep its machinery working and we depend on energy for travel.
Coal, natural gas and crude oil are sources of energy which we take from the earth. All three energy-giving materials were formed millions of years ago when the bodies of dead animals and plants were covered by the land and put under intense pressure. For this reason they are known as fossil fuels. When we burn coal, natural gas and oil we obtain energy. To produce electricity we need to use a source of energy. Electricity is made in power stations. Coal is widely used as a fuel in power stations. Since there is a limit to our fossil fuel supplies - some scientists believe that the fossil fuels will have been used up by the year 2100 - humans have turned to other energy sources. Another problem is that burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide and other gases as waste products. This is adding to the atmospheric pollution.
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© Paul Billiet, Shirley Burchill, Alan Damon and Deborah James 2009 |
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