Fossil Fuels
Coal, oil and gas form from ancient life over millions of years.
About this topic
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) formed over millions of years from the buried remains of ancient plants and plankton that were subjected to heat and pressure. They supply about 80% of the world's energy. They are energy-dense and convenient but non-renewable.
Burning them releases CO₂, the main driver of climate change, plus pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and particulates. Extraction can harm the environment (oil spills, mining). Transition to low-carbon sources is a global priority, while fossil fuels remain important for plastics and chemicals.
Take a power station: burning one tonne of coal produces about 2.4 tonnes of CO2, and a petrol car emits roughly 2.3 kg of CO2 for each litre burned. Coal formed mainly from swamp forests of the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago, which is why the carbon in them was once captured from the air by photosynthesis. Oil and gas formed from marine plankton buried in mud and cooked at around 60 to 150 degrees C underground. We are releasing in a couple of centuries what took hundreds of millions of years to store.
Fossil fuels power electricity, transport, heating and industry, and are raw materials for plastics, fertilisers and medicines. Natural gas burns more cleanly than coal, giving about half the CO2 for the same energy, but leaking methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Peak oil debates and energy security drive policy, and countries pursue carbon pricing and phase-out of coal. A common misconception is that fuels come from dinosaurs; they come mostly from plants and plankton. Another is that they will run out tomorrow; reserves remain, but burning them all would cause serious climate impacts.
Key ideas
- Non-renewable
- Burning releases CO₂
- Provide most energy today
Quick check
Use cases: where Fossil Fuels helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Fossil Fuels before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Fossil Fuels without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Fossil Fuels changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Fossil Fuels in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Earth science helps with weather forecasts, natural hazards, energy and climate planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fossil Fuels?
Coal, oil and gas form from ancient life over millions of years.
What will I learn in Fossil Fuels?
Non-renewable. Burning releases CO₂. Provide most energy today.
Is Fossil Fuels part of Earth & Space?
Yes. It is one of 60 Earth & Space topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Fossil Fuels lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Fossil Fuels?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.