Fossil Fuels Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fossil Fuels - Assignment Example The first practical use of natural gas was as early as 200 BCE by the Chinese made salt from brine and conveying the natural gas to evaporators through bamboo pipes (EIA, cited in ProCon.org, 2013). After the industrial revolution in 18th century, large scale use of fossil fuels has been reported (â€Å"Why did fossil fuels become so popular†, 2014). Petroleum products are being used as fuel to power transportation such as ships, automobiles and airplanes. Coal is used for electricity generation. The widespread use of fossil fuels harms the environment as these are a major cause of global warming, they cause acid rain, they will end up some day because they are non-renewable, their extraction damages the landscape and they affect the economy due to increase and decrease in their prices (Shepherd, 2002). If we do not start finding and using alternative sources of energy, we will not only end up severely polluting our environment but will also end up with no more fossil fuel reserves left. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and the geological processes that resulted in their creation took millions of years, meaning that if we run out of them, we will need millions of years to get them back, that too if the environmental conditions are right (Shepherd, 2002). While fossil fuels are being depleted, there is a need to develop alternative sources of energy. Alternative sources of energy such as nuclear power, solar power, wind power, hydro power and geothermal energy are renewable sources. This implies that they are so abundant on earth that they cannot be depleted. These sources of energy do not pollute the environment and thus are better alternatives to fossil fuels (â€Å"Energy Story†, 2012). Nuclear energy makes is the energy derived from atoms. It is based on nuclear fission and fusion reactions. Nuclear power plants are being constructed worldwide and these use uranium as fuel. A very large amount