Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing materials such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the anaerobic decomposition of buried dead plants and animals over millions of years. Burned to power engines or generate electricity, they replaced the extreme poverty of subsistence living, with ever-increasing wealth.

Machinery powered by fossil fuels multiplied the output of each worker, creating the leisure time required for mankind to go beyond merely surviving to flourishing, through advances in science and technology.

Synthetic fertilizers produced from natural gas, multiplied crop yields, bringing inexpensive food while preventing mass starvation.

Virtually every product of modern life is dependent on fossil fuels.

Learn about the miracles of fossil fuels in the following section.

Fast Facts

• Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing materials such as coal, oil, and natural gas
  • Formed from the anaerobic decomposition of buried dead plants and animals over millions of years.
  • Burned to provide heat, power engines,  or generate electricity.
  • Used to produce fertilizers, plastics, and most items used in modern society.
• Abundant, reliable, low-cost fossil fuel energy was a critical factor in eliminating poverty and starvation wherever wealth and abundance exist today.
• Eliminating fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides caused a 20% reduction in rice yields during the first 6 months in Sri Lanka.
• Reliable, efficient, low-cost energy infrastructure responsible for the incredible abundance and wealth billions enjoy is under increasing attack by “rich world” leaders,

Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-rich substances derived from ancient biological matter, found within Earth’s crust. They serve as a vital energy source and a key raw material for countless products essential to modern life. Additionally, they are crucial in producing fertilizers that support global agriculture, helping to sustain the planet’s population of 8 billion people.

Fossil Fuels Defined

Fossil Fuel Benefits

While protesters with first world concerns like slow internet or gender identity, rally against the fossil fuel industry after enjoying the comforts of energy-rich lifestyles, billions in the developing world still await the most fundamental benefits that reliable fossil fuel energy can provide. These benefits include jobs in industries that offer economic opportunities beyond subsistence farming, the ability to cook with efficient gas stoves instead of relying on toxic smoke from burning wood, access to refrigerators for safe food storage, and the availability of fans and lighting that are not dependent on seasonal or weather-related fluctuations. For many, these basic advancements remain out of reach, highlighting the stark contrast in priorities and needs between the developed and developing worlds.

Energy

Energy to move people and goods, and generate power, mostly electricity, are the most obvious uses of fossil fuel.  In 2022 fossil fuels provided 79% of US energy consumption and 60% of electricity.      

Transportation

The energy density of liquid fossil fuels, gasoline, and kerosene, make them ideally suited for, and in many cases the only economically viable means for powering much of our transportation system.  Energy density is the energy stored per unit of mass.   

At 12,200 watt-hr/kg, the power density of gasoline is about 50 times the usable  238 Wh/kg reported for Tesla’s 4680 cells,  The weight of a battery also never decreases during a trip unlike vehicles powered by fossil fuels.  A benefit most pronounced on long airplane flights.  

Electricity Generation

Because the electricity generated must precisely match the amount consumed to prevent grid collapse, reliability in electricity generation is as crucial as energy density is for transportation fuels. It fundamentally determines the value of electricity. Power produced when it’s not needed—such as during sunny summer afternoons in California, when an excess of solar panels generates more electricity than required—can have zero or even negative value. In such cases, utilities may pay others to take the surplus off their hands. Wind and solar energy production rarely aligns with actual power demand, and the financial and environmental costs of storing electricity are prohibitively high, except in a few specific locations, like hydroelectric dams with suitable hydrological conditions.

In contrast, power grids fueled by fossil fuel-generated electricity, such as gas turbines, can seamlessly match user demand around the clock without producing unnecessary excess power. The idea of a society reliably powered entirely by intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar is a myth sustained by the constant support of fossil fuel power plants, particularly natural gas. These plants adjust their output in real time to compensate for the unpredictable fluctuations caused by weather-dependent renewables.

Products

The vast array of products derived from fossil fuels underscores the impracticality of imagining a society completely free from their use.

Agriculture

The Green Revolution, which more than doubled agricultural production in some of the world’s poorest nations, was largely fueled by fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides. While the health risks of pesticides were recognized decades ago, nitrogen-based fertilizers have recently faced criticism for their role in contributing to global warming, alongside livestock emissions. The same policymakers who fail to grasp the scientific reality that wind and solar power are unreliable due to their dependence on weather conditions now seem ready to replicate their energy policy missteps in agriculture. Their actions risk driving up food prices while exacerbating shortages.

The recent agricultural crisis in Sri Lanka serves as a cautionary tale—one that, unfortunately, elites in government and environmental movements are likely to overlook.

Let Them Stay Poor

As electricity prices in Europe soared to unprecedented levels, I was struck by the foresight of Alex Epstein’s 2016 testimony to Congress, which had so accurately predicted the unfolding crisis.

Alex Epstein is an American philosopher, author, and commentator who argues for the moral case of expanding fossil fuel use, emphasizing the link between energy poverty and human suffering. He frequently highlights the irony of affluent Westerners, who benefit from the reliability and abundance of fossil fuel energy, urging poorer African nations to avoid using coal.

Alex has thoroughly researched his stance, gaining a deep understanding of energy systems—a subject I studied extensively in college. Unlike his critics, who often repeat debunked claims, he backs his arguments with well-referenced data. His books are a valuable resource for anyone seeking a fact-based perspective on energy..