From energy and transport to plastic, our world relies on fossil fuels. But they’re one of the main causes of climate change, pollute the environment and harm people worldwide. For the future of our planet, we need to get off fossil fuels and switch to greener alternatives.
Fossil fuels are coal, oil and gas that are mined and burned to produce energy.
Burning them releases carbon emissions, a key cause of climate change and pollution which harm the environment and human health.
Despite government pledges to reduce emissions, fossil fuel emissions are reaching record highs. Getting off fossil fuels is vital to stop the climate crisis from getting worse.
The International Energy Agency has said that there must be no new oil, gas and coal projects if the world is to reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
Our world runs on oil. But burning oil is causing climate change and threatening our future. Oil drilling is hugely damaging to the environment and people’s health. Oil companies are still taking huge risks to drill for oil.
Coal is the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy. It’s a serious threat to our climate and people’s health. Many countries have stopped or are in the process of stopping using coal completely, including the UK.
Gas is a fossil fuel burned for heating and to produce electricity. The UK is heavily dependent on gas, but there are alternatives – such as renewables, insulation and heat pumps.
Burning fossil fuels is one of the main causes of climate change.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet up. These gases are naturally present in the atmosphere and without them, Earth would be much colder. But burning fossil fuels has pushed more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than humans have ever seen. So more heat is getting trapped and our planet is warming faster than any point in human history.
Coal and oil are some of the biggest contributors to climate change. Gas is often pushed as a ‘cleaner energy source’ than coal and oil. But it’s still a fossil fuel, so using it still contributes to global warming.
A warming climate from fossil fuel burning causes more extreme weather.
Extreme weather events – such as floods and heatwaves – are happening more often all over the world. But many places around the world that have contributed the least to climate change are suffering more from extreme weather.
As well as speeding up climate change, burning fossil fuels releases tiny particles (known as particulates) and harmful gases that pollute the air, water and land.
Air pollution from burning fuels like coal and oil was found responsible for one in five deaths globally in 2018. It’s also been linked to health problems like heart disease, lung conditions like asthma, and even dementia.
But exposure to air pollution from producing and burning fossil fuels is not the same for everyone. It’s much more likely to affect people of colour and low-income communities, both in the US and in England. This makes fossil fuel production a clear example of environmental injustice.
Alongside carbon dioxide, burning fossil fuels also releases toxic gases (like sulphur dioxide and nitric oxides) high into the air. These dissolve in water vapour and oxygen in the air, and fall to earth as acid rain.
Acid rain can make water habitats more toxic for some plants and animals. It can damage forests by robbing the soil of important nutrients, making it harder for trees to take up water. It also damages buildings and other man-made structures, and causes health problems.
It’s not just burning fossil fuels that hurts us and the planet. Harvesting, processing and distributing fossil fuels cause a host of problems too.
Coal mining can mean removing mountain tops and stripping large areas of land.
Oil drilling the sea bed poses risks to ocean life through oil spills from accidents and transporting it on ships. Oil refineries also pollute the air and water. This is dangerous for human health as well as the environment.
All fossil fuel extraction can cause pollution, due to the need to remove waste material. Oil drilling involves gas flaring, for example, to reduce pressure which can cause explosions.
Again, fossil fuels tend to be extracted and refined in the poorest countries and communities – meaning more severe impacts for people of colour.
Even with more awareness of the climate crisis and government pledges to cut emissions, recent analysis suggests that fossil fuel emissions are reaching record highs.
Part of the challenge is that the fossil fuel industry is heavily embedded in our political and economic systems.
Because of ongoing demand for fossil fuels, companies that extract, refine and sell them are hugely wealthy and powerful. They use their money to lobby governments, influencing laws that might affect their business. They also receive tax breaks and subsidies from governments because their products are currently so important to society and the economy.
Many global fossil fuel companies are historically tied to the world’s wealthier countries, like the UK. So the communities and countries around the world most affected by climate change are now uniting to demand justice from rich countries.
These companies must now take responsibility for their damage. They need to stop drilling for new fossil fuels and start paying for the problems they have caused. And governments that have benefited from fossil fuel contracts must put the most affected communities, such as Indigenous Peoples, at the heart of political decision making going forward.
Burning fossil fuels for energy, transport and industry releases greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Things like farming, cutting down forests and overfishing are making it worse. There is no doubt that human activities are causing climate change, which means we are also able to stop it.
Airlines and oil companies love talking about carbon offsetting. But to be serious about tackling climate change, they need to stop carbon emissions from getting into the atmosphere in the first place.
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As energy bills go up and up, there have been suggestions that increasing the flow of oil and gas from the North Sea will help to combat spiralling bills. But the way energy is traded across the world, as well as decisions made by this and previous governments, means that churning out more fossil fuels is not the answer.
Getting off fossil fuels is vital to stop the climate crisis from getting worse. Thankfully, the answers are pretty simple:
We can make this transition without harming the rights of workers in polluting industries.
While adopting alternative technologies, such as renewable energy and electric cars, we need to avoid the same kinds of problems created by fossil fuel extraction in the past. For example:
The environmental crisis doesn't affect everyone equally. Often the worst impacts fall on those who are already most exploited by people in power. The fight for environmental justice is about addressing this unfairness, and making sure green solutions don't add to the problem.
Our world runs on oil – you could even say we’re addicted to it. But using all this oil is causing climate change and threatening our future. Oil companies are also taking huge risks to reach dwindling supplies and ignoring the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Around the world, people are standing up to these companies with a single message: no more oil.
Plastic is everywhere. Useful and convenient, it’s also a massive pollution problem. Wildlife becomes ensnared in discarded plastic and microplastics are eaten by ocean creatures. Much of the UK’s plastic waste is dumped and burned overseas, affecting people's health. To stop this, we must produce less plastic in the first place.
Clean, renewable energy is a vital tool in our plans to reduce the worst effects of climate change. Replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar to power our homes and businesses will dramatically cut our greenhouse gas emissions. The added bonus is it will cut air pollution at the same time.