Fossil fuel combustion environmental problems associated with

Despite being recognized as far back as the 1870s, the environmental problems associated with acid rain came to the fore in the 1960s with the decline of fish stocks in European and North American lakes. Two of the major contributors towards acid rain are SO2 and NO . (In Section 25.8, we discuss the use of catalytic converters to combat pollution due to nitrogen oxides, NOj .) Although SO2 emissions arise from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions, artificial sources contribute 90% of the sulfur in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels such as coal contain 2-3% sulfur and combustion produces SO2. This is being countered by the recovery of sulfur from petroleum (Fig. 16.2). Sulfur dioxide is released when metal sulfide ores are roasted in the production of metals such as Co, Ni, Cu and Zn, for example ... 

Another problem associated with fossil fuel combustion is the greenhouse effect, which brings up critical environmental concerns. 

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