Fossil Fuels

Oil drillingThe term fossil fuel takes its meaning from its prehistoric origins. The three principal types of fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—are formed from the organic remains of plants and animals that predate the dinosaur period.

Coal

Coal contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulphur and is mined from deep underground. Some mines use large shafts to dig deep into the earth, and coal miners travel by elevator to the base of the mine to dig coal. Strip mines, containing large steam shovels, strip away the top layers above the coal. Coal is shipped by train, boat, or when mixed with water pumped through pipelines many miles long. Once processed, coal is typically used to fuel power plants and factories.

While coal is an efficient and fairly inexpensive method of generating electricity, the technology has many health-related and environmental disadvantages. Mining is a dangerous practice and, producing high levels of carbon dioxide, has long been associated with respiratory disease. Coal also produces sulphur dioxide, a gas that contributes to acid rain. Since coal powered plants require huge quantities of fuel, supplies must be replenished constantly and large reserves must be stored nearby, often despoiling pristine landscapes.

BC has significant coal reserves. In its 2002 Energy Plan, the BC Liberal government opened up the use of coal as a possible energy source in BC. While some claim there is clean coal technology available, this has yet to be proven conclusively.

Oil or Petroleum

Oil is also mined by drilling deep into the earth to access deposits. Crude oil or petroleum is easier to extract than coal and can be transported by boat in cylinders or through long pipelines at a relatively inexpensive cost.

Petroleum or crude oil must be refined—heated and separated into various by-products—before it is useable. There are numerous petroleum-based products that our society depends upon, including: gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, home heating oil, oil for ships, and oil to burn in power plants to generate electricity. Oil is also used to manufacture thousands of everyday products, like fertilizer, clothing, and myriad plastic items from toothbrushes to drinking bottles.

Although North America has numerous oil reserves, the largest supply of oil is located in the Middle East.

Natural Gas

Natural Gas is made up of a highly flammable, ultra light substance called methane, usually mined underground, and is often found near sources of petroleum.

Natural gas currently accounts for approximately 20% of the world’s consumption of energy. It is commonly burned in power stations, and used by many people to heat their homes. Natural gas is also relatively easy to transport along pipelines. And, because it burns very cleanly, natural gas generates relatively little pollution.

Fossil fuels take millions of years to be generated and are not renewable sources of energy. Our consumption of fossil fuels has nearly doubled every 20 years since 1900. And once these resources have been used and burned, we will have depleted the world’s supply.

Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels, in addition to its finite supply, is pollution. Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect. Scientists believe that global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect: essentially, the accumulation of carbon dioxide inside in our earth's atmosphere. In addition, small particles emitted by burning fossil fuels are very dangerous; they can exist in the air for indefinite periods of time, up to several weeks, and can travel for miles. Microscopic particles can enter the bloodstream and cause serious, even fatal lung damage.

Clearly, in British Columbia, we should be minimizing our use of our non-renewable fossil fuels as sources of energy. We are fortunate to have sufficient natural resources—in the form of clean, renewable water and wind energy—to meet the energy requirements of British Columbians now and in the future.

It is perplexing, then, that the provincial government would jeopardize both energy security by privatizing energy sources and the health of its citizens by expanding the energy market to include more non-renewable sources.

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