Hobbies And Interests
Oil
Oil is a thick, dark sticky liquid found sandwiched between layers of rock. It is extracted from the earth through oil wells. After removal, oil is refined into gas, jet fuel and diesel fuel which is used to power cars, trucks, semi-truck trailers and airplanes. Oil can also be burned in power plants and factories to create electricity which is used to provide light and power to electrical devices like radios, televisions and kitchen appliances.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is lighter than air and made of methane, a simple chemical compound made from carbon and hydrogen. Like oil, natural gas is mined from the earth with wells. Because natural gas is invisible and highly flammable, a chemical is added to it to give it an odorous smell, enabling people to detect its presence and take care not to light matches or expose open flames. Natural gas is used to operate stoves and also, like oil, to make electricity in power plants.
Coal
Coal is found in multiple forms ranging from hard, black rock pieces to soft brown dirt. Coal is mined deep in mountains and underground by boring tunnels to access it. Some forms of coal burn hotter than others. Coal was used for a long time to power railroads and even today is used to create more than half of all the electricity produced in the United States.
Fossil Fuel Abuses
Arguably the worst abuses of fossil fuels come in two forms. Recklessness in obtaining the fuel and carelessness in using it. The Upper Big Branch Mine explosion killing 29 workers in West Virginia in 2010 and the Macondo Gulf Natural Gas Well explosion killing three workers in Texas the same year show that mining disasters are far too common and often caused by careless management. The fumes released by gasoline, oil, coal and natural gas when it is burned send carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is thought to be responsible for a gradual increasing of the planet's temperature. Global warming is thus linked to the overuse of fossil fuels.
Sometimes, companies may become careless when mining for coal, causing miners to lose their lives when tunnels collapse. Other times, like the recent BP Deepwater Horizon accident off the Gulf Coast and the earlier Exxon Valdez accident show that oil mined or transported at sea can spill into the world's oceans destroying plant and animal life. When companies cut corners to save money, employ sub-par well and mining designs or put reckless people in charge of transporting fossil fuels, abuses can and do occur.