Fossil Fuels and Pollution

Fossil fuels when burned give out energy. We need fuels for transport, heating houses, industry, etc. In burning they produce a lot of carbon dioxide, which has been associated with the global greenhouse effects. 

and natural gas are all called fossil fuels because they were formed from living things many millions of years ago. When we burn them we release the carbon in the form of the carbon dioxide which was taken out of the atmosphere all that time ago. 

Since the Industrial Revolution about 300 years ago we have released the carbon dioxide taken out by probably a million years or so of photosynthesis. 

Note also that because fossil fuels also contain some sulfur, burning them usually results in the formation of sulfur dioxide gas. This, when dissolved in falling rainwater, is one cause of acid rain . Some modem power plants try to desulfurise the gases before releasing them into the air. 

Much of the radiation from the Sun can get through the atmosphere, and hits the surface of the Earth. It heats up the soil and rocks, is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis, evaporates water from seas and wet ground, and helps to keep us warm. 

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