There may be significant attention drawn to the potential drawbacks of fossil fuels
However, what might not be emphasised as strongly is how much we still rely on fossil fuels across society, and the potential benefits they might provide
Below, we list some of the main reasons fossil fuels are still important across society, and what some of the main uses for them might be
Summary – Why Fossil Fuels Are Still Important, & What We Use Them For
Why Fossil Fuels Are Still Important
Fossil fuels might be important for:
– The number of uses they have across society
Not only are fossil fuels used across essentially every industry and sector, but, they are also used in the production of thousands of everyday products and items we use
An interesting stat from iagc.org about the prevalence of fossil fuels being used in everyday life is:
‘Fossil fuels are found in 96% of the items we use each day’
– The types of uses they have across society
The types of uses for fossil fuel might be critical to our economies and the functioning of society
There’s also economic and social benefits that flow on from this, such as employment, income, improved quality of life, and so on
– The potential benefits some fossil fuels may still have compared to some renewables energy sources
What We Use Fossil Fuels For
Different fossil fuels have different uses
A few of the key shared uses of the different fossil fuels are for energy in the form of electricity generation, and also as a vehicle fuel
But, these are not the only uses
We list the different uses for each of the main fossil fuels below
Importance Of Fossil Fuels, & Uses For Fossil Fuels
Above, we identified that the importance of fossil fuels relates to the number of things that fossil fuels are used for across society, and also how critical those things are to the functioning of society (and the benefits those things provide us with).
Some of the general uses for fossil fuels across society are:
– Primary energy
– For electricity generation
Many major countries in the world still use fossil fuels as major energy sources in their energy mix
Even cities that have renewable energy as a part of their power grid might have fossil fuels as a backup or complementary energy source in their electricity mix.
– In industry
Coking coal is used for steel production, and steel obviously has many key uses across society
worldcoal.org mentions that ‘Over 71% of the steel produced today uses coal … in the steel making process’
Coal is also used in cement manufacturing.
Thousands of materials and products are also derived from fossil fuels, where it can be used as a feedstock
As one example, petroleum and natural gas have an important role as a feedstock for plastic
In the US specifically, plastic uses natural gas as a feedstock in production.
Plastic is used for many key uses across society, to the point we may not be able to live without it in the short to medium term
As plastic production grows in the future, fossil fuels may only become more important as a feedstock for this increased production
wwf.org.au mentions this about petroleum use in plastic:
Currently, 4% of the world’s annual petroleum production is diverted to making plastic, and another 4% gets burned in the refining process
thegef.org also outlines the importance of natural gas and oil in producing plastic:
Conventional plastic production is highly dependent on virgin fossil feedstocks (mainly natural gas and oil) … [to the point that …] Plastics production [currently] consumes up to 6% of global oil production …
thegef.org mentions this about the projected future of plastic production:
Plastics production … is projected to [consume up to 20% of global oil production] by 2050 if current consumption patterns persist
weforum.org makes similar comments about how oil could play in the future of plastic production:
[Plastic production] is expected to triple by 2050, when it would account for 20% of global annual oil consumption
– For heating
Fossil fuels are used for heating (such as space heating, water heating, and so on) across the industrial, commercial and residential sectors
As one example, we might still primarily use oil and natural gas boilers in buildings for heating (and even electric heating might primarily use a fossil fuel source).
– As a fuel for transport
Petroleum based fuels are still the predominant fuel sources in the transport sector (with gasoline being the major one)
– For refrigeration and cooling
– For 1000’s of different products
A partial list of 6000 items that use petroleum can be found at whgbetc.com
iagc.org also lists items that use fossil fuels across cosmetics and personal care, the automotive industry, and home
What We Use Coal For
One of the primary uses for coal is for electricity generation
We outline the range of other uses for coal in this guide
What We Use Oil For
One of the primary uses for oil is for petroleum based fuels for transport and the propulsion of vehicles (like cars, trucks, planes, ships, and so on)
We outline the range of other uses for oil in this guide
What We Use Natural Gas For
Two of the primary uses for natural gas are electricity generation, and also for industrial use
We outline the range of other uses for natural gas in this guide
Potential Benefits & Drawbacks Of Fossil Fuels
We’ve put together separate guides outlining the potential pros and cons of fossil fuels in general, and also the individual fossil fuels:
Fossil Fuels (In General)
Coal
Pros and Cons Of Clean Coal Technology
Oil
Natural Gas
Pros and Cons Of Natural Gas Energy
Sources
1. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/pros-cons-of-fossil-fuel-energy-now-into-the-future/
2. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/energy-sources-energy-mix-by-country-where-major-countries-in-the-world-get-their-energy-from/
3. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/can-renewable-energy-replace-fossil-fuels-meet-demand-power-the-world-moving-towards-100-renewable-energy/
4. https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/plastic-waste-and-climate-change-whats-the-connection#gs.3b2972
5. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf
6. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/potentially-harmful-effects-of-plastic-on-the-environment-wildlife-humans-health-the-economy/
7. https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal/how-steel-produced
8. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/the-pros-cons-of-plastic/
9. https://whgbetc.com/petro-products.pdf
10. https://www.iagc.org/importance-of-fossil-fuels.html
11. https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/council-meeting-documents/EN_GEF.STAP_.C.54.Inf_.05_Plastics.pdf
12. https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses-coal
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