Pollution is defined as the introduction of harmful elements into the environment.Pollution is destructive to both humans and nature itself because of the introduction of chemical substances that impacts ecological balance. Pollution is generally divided into air, water, soil, and noise pollution.Pollution is mostly manmade even though natural pollutants can be found in the shapes of volcanic ash. However, most of the pollution crisis that the world is going through is caused by manmade sources. Fossil fuel pollution is one of the major sources of the ecosystem becoming harmful to humans and wildlife. Fossil fuels contain hydrocarbon materials and the major fossil fuels are natural gas, petroleum, and coal. All these fossil fuels are extracted from the earth via drilling and mining. Fossil fuel, in general, has powered the entirety of the world for decades and helped humanity progress in various fields. However, burning these has caused issues like global warming, and acid rain, which are a result of the overuse of dangerous fossil fuels.Thankfully, cleaner energy sources like wind and solar energy are on the rise and hopefully will help in the creation of a cleaner ecosystem for lives to thrive in.If you like this article about Fossil fuel pollution facts, be sure to check out facts about Florida water pollution facts and facts about ocean pollution too!Fossil Fuel Pollution Meaning With ExampleFossil fuel pollution is defined as greenhouse gases that are produced by fossil fuel use in power plants or machinery that run on fossil fuels on a daily basis. The emissions from this fuel-based machinery are harmful to humans and an assessed 8.7 million deaths in 2018 were connected to fossil fuel emissions.Coal, one of the most important minerals in the world for centuries, is one of the biggest contributors to fossil fuel pollution. Coal is extracted through surface mining and underground mining where layers of soil are removed to access coal deposits under the surface and using heavy machinery to cut coal deposits from the ground, respectively. Strip mining is unusually detrimental to the ecosystem as it uproots and pollutes the whole ecosystem.Coal-burning power plants are the source of a large amount of electricity generation around the world but the presence of cheaper and cleaner alternatives like natural gas has helped in cutting the pollution level down by a small margin and making the economy more attractive as more renewable sources of energy are used and invented to put an end to the excess usage of fossil fuels.Fossil Fuel Pollution SourcesFossil fuel pollution sources occur because of the various elements like oil, gas, and other elements that are used to create energy or run massive factories.The transportation industry is one such source that is responsible for a great amount of pollution that the world has seen over the years. The industrial sector is one of the largest contributors to pollution but in 2020, the transportation industry released more carbon dioxide because of how dependent it is on petroleum fuels.Coal, gas, and oil contribute a lot to the harming of our groundwater and waterways. Coal mining methods often see a lot of acid runoff into lakes, rivers, and streams, alongside rock, soil, and toxic materials into the streams. Oil spills are another fossil fuel pollution source as oil leaks during transport or extraction in turn polluting the water body it is located in. These spills lead to the death of many marine animals and toxic things mixing with the water that is consumed on a large scale by the global population.Drilling and mining contribute to more water pollution and contaminate water bodies by dumping toxic wastes like radioactive materials or heavy metals into the waters. The effects of this kind of pollution are seen in birth defects, cancer, and neurological damages.In America alone, crude oil and gas endanger around 12.6 million people! Harmful air pollutants are inhaled by people and this toxic air pollution is caused by oil and gas processing and transporting. Canada’s boreal forest is a safe haven for a giant carbon energy source but strip mining in the region causes health impacts on the local population.The Fossil fuel industry is also responsible for causing land degradation. Drilling, moving, and processing oil underground, coal deposits, and gas leaves forests in a sorry state of affairs as they are often deforested and structures related to waste disposal and storage, pipelines, roads for access are made in their places. Strip mining leaves massive stretches of land in a bad state making them prone to soil pollution and in turn, all other sources of pollutions.Climate change in forests caused by deforestation to create primary energy leads to the native wildlife being affected and losing their lives.The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and much more. Coal-fired power plants generate around two-third of the U.S sulfur dioxide discharges and around 42% of the fatal mercury discharges in the U.S. Fossil fuel-powered trucks, cars, and boats are the primary sources of nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, both of which are extremely toxic as it produces smog.Air pollution caused by fossil fuels kills millions of people each year and at least 92% of the world population lives under the effects of air pollution that is deemed unsafe by the World Health Organization (WHO). Air pollution is the fourth-largest threat to humans and respiratory diseases, strokes, lung and chronic lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.Fossil Fuel Pollution PreventionFossil fuel-based pollution is one of the most common types of pollution as it is used in the production of primary energy worldwide. This has caused various issues around the world and prevention methods should be applied to put a stop to the increase in fossil fuel pollution.To halt the climate change that is a result of fossil fuels, governments around the world have come together to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement in 2015 was an international agreement that would see countries focus on the production of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels.Carbon emissions from power plants that operate on natural gas and coal are already secured and there are efforts aimed at removing the carbon through technologies like carbon capture that suck carbon out of the air.There are plans that radiate towards a fossil fuel-free future and progress has been made in increasing the production of renewable energy by thriving towards a clean energy economy around the world.Renewable energy sources like wind and solar would help in the progression of achieving a clean global environment and thanks to the availability of cheaper renewable energy reservoirs have helped in creating a clean environment. However, these energies should also be used responsibly to prevent them from being misused,The United States itself has seen more than 2.2 million jobs have come through the rise in the use of clean and cheap renewable energy that has helped in energy efficiency. As of today, the job field in the production of energy through nuclear, coal, natural gas, and oil usage is unusually larger than the job field in coal mining or gas drilling.The U.S ranks first in natural gas production with Russia and Iran trailing behind on second and third respectively. Extraction of natural gas has become much easier than before owing to the combining process of hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling and other methods. Hard to reach places can now be reached because of which more natural gas can be extracted from the depths of the earth. Emission from natural gas is lower than that of oil and coal and it is relatively cheaper too, making it a great source of energy. Unlike fossil fuels, natural gas is also much easier on the ecosystem and affects the environment on a lower level than coal or oil.Natural gases are being mined worldwide with an intention to put an end to climate change and to prepare the world for a cleaner environment by working on the impacts that pollution causes. Undersea methane hydrates (caged structure of water trapped with methane trapped in it) are also being considered as a natural gas resource by countries that have an abundance of these materials.Fossil Fuel Pollution Effect On EnvironmentFossil fuels like coal, crude oil, and natural gas are responsible for a massive spike in global greenhouse gas emissions. However, if we were to stop burning coal, natural gas, and other modes of power to generate electricity, the fossil fuel emissions around the world would reduce pollution-caused deaths.82% of the primary supply of energy in the world in 2011, was produced from fossil fuels. Fossil-fuel combustion contributes to air pollution, and 85% of air pollution is caused because of sulfur dioxide that is caused by burning crude oil and natural gas.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), mercury, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and black carbon are also released into the air and form ground-level ozone that in turn affects the health of children and adults.Did You Know…In 2019, approximately 80% of the domestic energy production in the United States was derived from fossil fuels. 80% of the energy demand of the country was produced from energy sources like natural gas.An evaluated 63% of electricity generated in the United States comes from burning fossil fuels in the form of natural gas and coal. The use of alternative energy sources in generating electricity can help in fighting climate change on a global scale.The carbon dioxide emission in the world rose by 62% between the years 1990 and 2019. This high percentage is a result of fossil fuel combustion used in industrial processes or in power plants. Burning oil and natural gas see a massive increase in smog in the affected region. The remaining 38% is caused by electricity generation in the electric power sector.Surface mining, deep mining, or strip mining results in respiratory illnesses, smog, and environmental issues. Thankfully, coal consumption has decreased by 11 quads (One quad = 293 billion kilowatt-hours) since the year 2007!The global oil consumption in the year 2019 increased by a below-average 0.9 million barrels a day! Liquid fuels like biofuels also rose by 1.1% in the year.An estimated 44% of the world’s total carbon emissions are caused by burning fossil fuels like coal. However, thanks to the affordability of natural gas, some countries have lowered their use of fossil fuels and switched to renewable energy.In 2019, an expected 84.3% of the global energy came from coal and oil. Thankfully, as a result of rising natural gas consumption, coal usage has gone down.Human activities and rapid energy consumption has contributed to the use of greenhouse gases. Burning files for transportation, heat, and electricity produces greenhouse gases.The Gulf of Mexico has a dead zone because an approximated 1.6 million T (1.5 million metric tons) of nitrogen is dumped into the gulf.Pollution has caused the deaths of over 100 million people globally. The number is similar to that caused by diseases like HIV and Malaria. Climate change and the amount of non-renewable energy consumption contribute to this death toll.During the 2015 Paris Agreement, several governments pledge to keep global warming under 2° C (3.6° F), a million lives can be saved by the year 2050 just by reducing air pollution.According to WHO, 3.8 million premature deaths are caused by household air pollution each year. 60% of the deaths are of women and children.Air pollution is one of the major sources of pollution around the world called by burning diesel fuel, potent greenhouse gas, or other fossil fuels.It is estimated that by 2025, water pollution will cause at least 3.5 billion people in the world to face a water shortage.Noise pollution can cause health issues like sleep disorders, hearing loss, stress, and high blood pressure. Despite these issues, noise pollution remains unchecked.Based on research by National Geographic, plastic makes up for 73% of litter found on beaches. Bottle caps, grocery bags, food wrappers, and polystyrene containers are major contributors to water pollution.A plastic bag is used for 12 minutes on average! This short usage contributes to massive water pollution as these plastic bags take to decompose in thousands of years!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 35 amazing fossil fuel pollution facts that are air pollution concern then why not take a look at 11 facts about salt water: know how it is different from fresh water, or 43 facts about Seattle, Washington that every travel geek should know?
Pollution is defined as the introduction of harmful elements into the environment.
