Contents We Need Energy What Are Fossil Fuels 10 Mining Coal Drilling for Oil Extracting Natural Gas Where in the World 14 16 18 How We Use Fossil Fuels Electricity from Fossil Fuels Climate Change Pollution and Other Problems 20 22 24 The Case for Fossil Fuels What is the Alternative 26 Power Up 28 Glossary 30 Learning More Index 32 ONESIAN THE TIC TALS
We Need Energy Energy is the ability to do work It comes in different forms such as heat light or kinetic movement energy Energy can also be passed from one object to another For example an apple contains sugars which are forms of chemical energy When you eat the apple the chemical energy is transferred to your body You can use it to power your muscles to swing your leg When your leg kicks a ball it transfers kinetic energy from you to the ball We use energy all the time in our daily lives We get energy from food We also release energy by burning fuels such as gasoline and natural gas The energy we use comes from many different sources Some of these sources are more sustainable or efficient to use than others Renewable energy is energy from a source such as the Sun or wind which will never run out However most of the energy we use comes from sources that are nonrenewable so they cannot be replaced We burn huge amounts of fuels such as coal oil natural gas to power our cars and heat our homes These resources are extracted from beneath the ground Once these fuels are burned they World Energy Supply by Source 2012 cannot be used again Eventually there will 4 8 1 1 be no more left 2 4 31 4 10 Hydropower NucleaI Biofuels and waste Coal oil and natural gas make up the biggest slices of this pie which shows the different kinds of energy used around the world Natural gas Coal 21 3 Other
More and More The world's population is growing Currently there are more than 7 billion people on Earth That number will probably reach 9 7 billion in about 25 years Not only will there be more people using energy but they are also likely to use more of it Our busy modern lives use up energy at an amazing rate One of the biggest challenges for the future is finding a way to meet these growing energy needs Electricity powers a huge range of devices from streetlights to smartphones R E W I N D Just 200 years ago no one had electricity in their home or a car to drive from place to place People burned wood or coal to cook their food and heat their homes Candles and simple oil lamps provided light Transportation was by foot boat or horse The world is very different now and we have become dependent on energy for even the simplest tasks In what ways is daily life different now that energy is so readily
