Fossil Fuels

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Fossil Fuels

• Are They Coming or Going??

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How does a sunny day 200 million years ago affect
you today???

• Gas and plastics used today were formed from
  materials that received the suns energy millions
  of years ago.

3
Fuels are used for 4 main purposes!

• Transportation
• Manufacturing
• Heating and Cooling Buildings
• Generating Electricity to Run Machines and
  Appliances

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Energy Is Used To Produce Everything!!!!

• The United States uses more energy per person
  than any other country in the world except
  Canada.

5
Use this information to construct your pie
chart!!!

• 38 of our energy is used for Industry
• 27 of our energy is used for transportation.
• 19 of our energy is residentially used.
• 16 of our energy is used commercially.

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The History of Energy Use

• The first humans used solar energy stored in
  plants/animals they ate carbohydrates found in
  food and burned wood from trees.
• By the mid 1700s in Europe, people turned to
  coal, but in the United States, wood was still
  the main source of energy.
• At the end of the 1800s, the US switched from
  using wood to using Fossil Fuels.

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WHAT ARE FOSSIL FUELS?

• The remains of once- living plants and animals
  that can be burned to release energy OIL
  (PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS) and COAL.

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COAL

• Most of the worlds fossil-fuel reserves are made
  up of coal.
• Coal forms from the remains of plants that lived
  in swamps hundreds of millions of years ago.
  Much of the coal found in the US formed about 250
  million years ago.

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Coal Good vs. Bad

• The Good
• Relatively inexpensive and needs little refining
  once it has been mined.
• More than ½ of the electricity in the US comes
  from coal-fired power plants

• The Bad
• Mining can cause toxic chemicals to leak into
  streams and rivers
• Entire tops of mountains can be removed for
  mining.
• The sulfur found in coal can cause air pollution
  and acid rain.

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Mountain Top Removal
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OIL (Petroleum)

• The oil that is pumped from the ground is known
  as crude oil.
• Crude oil is made from the decay of organic
  matter from both plants and animals that
  accumulated on the ocean floor millions of years
  ago.
• Petroleum is also found in a vapor state known as
  natural gas.

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Oil (continued)

• Oil is found in and around major geologic
  features that trap oil as it moves in the Earths
  crust (folds, faults, and salt domes).
• Crude oil and natural gas are found together.

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Oil Good vs. Bad

• THE GOOD
• Petroleum products, such as fuels, chemicals and
  plastics, are made from crude oil.
• Much of the worlds energy needs are met by
  petroleum products.

• THE BAD
• When burned, petroleum releases pollutants that
  contribute to smog and cause health problems.
• Oil spills pollute waterways and destroy
  inhabitants.

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Natural Gas

• Also called Methane
• Natural gas used to be burned off because it was
  considered to be a nuisance, but now natural gas
  has also been found to be a good energy source.
• Natural gas was also formed on the ocean floor
  from the decay of tiny marine organisms millions
  of years ago.

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Natural Gas Good vs. Bad

• The Good
• Burning natural gas produces fewer pollutants
  than other fossil fuels
• Electric power plants can use this clean-burning
  fuel.

• The Bad
• Natural Gas leaks can be harmful and dangerous to
  humans and animals.
• Natural gas is still a limited resource!

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• Digging for Oil

• Mining for Coal

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Help!!! The Fossil Fuels are Gone!

• You are a news journalist. The world has just
  run out of fossil fuels, and it is your job to
  cover this story. Write a brief news article
  describing what is occurring in America without
  fossil fuels.