How do fossil fuels produce energy?
The heat in power plants burns fossil fuels like coal and oil to generate steam, which undergoes a process that creates electricity.
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Why do we need to get rid of them?
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Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air in overwhelming amounts. This traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, causing climate changes like global warming.
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The fossil fuel power plants can also produce other pollutants such as "sulphurous oxides, which cause acid rain".
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Potential oil spills pose a major threat to marine life and water pollution.
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Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, meaning there is a limited supply.
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Coal mining, which is the job that involves digging out fossil fuels, is a very dangerous job with constant dangers of potential injury. It also destroys surrounding land.
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Why should it matter to YOU?
Fossil fuels directly impact our lives. Many people are unaware of the threat to human health that fossil fuels pose. The overly polluted air in certain areas can lead to lung cancer and/or asthma after breathing this air for extended periods of time.
Instead of renewable energy sources like the wind and the sun, fossil fuels must be extracted from the earth's dirt. Before this can be done though, the surrounding land is cleared through deforestation. Extreme deforestation directly impacts us and everyone we know by affecting the quality of the air we breathe. Why should we continue to support the use of this harmful energy all around our country?