Non-renewable energy 

comes from sources that will run out or will not

be replenished in our lifetimes—or even in many, many lifetimes. 
 
Most non-renewable energy sources are fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, and natural
gas. Carbon is the main element in fossil fuels. For this reason, the time period that
fossil fuels formed (about 360-300 million years ago) is called the Carboniferous
Period. 
 
All fossil fuels formed in a similar way. Hundreds of millions of years ago, even
before the dinosaurs, Earth had a different landscape. It was covered with wide,
shallow seas and swampy forests. 
 
Plants, algae, and plankton grew in these ancient wetlands. They absorbed sunlight
and created energy through photosynthesis. When they died, the organisms drifted
to the bottom of the sea or lake. There was energy stored in the plants and animals
when they died.
 
Over time, the dead plants were crushed under the seabed. Rocks and
other sediment piled on top of them, creating high heat and pressure underground.
In this environment, the plant and animal remains eventually turned into fossil fuels
(coal, natural gas, and petroleum). Today, there are huge underground pockets
(called reservoirs) of these non-renewable sources of energy all over the world.
 
Advantages and Disadvantages
Fossil fuels are a valuable source of energy. They are relatively inexpensive
to extract. They can also be stored, piped, or shipped anywhere in the world.
 
However, burning fossil fuels is harmful for the environment. When coal and oil are
burned, they release particles that can pollute the air, water, and land. Some of
these particles are caught and set aside, but many of them are released into the air.
 
Burning fossil fuels also upsets Earth’s “carbon budget,” which balances the carbon
in the ocean, earth, and air. When fossil fuels are combusted (heated), they release
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas that keeps heat in
Earth’s atmosphere, a process called the “greenhouse effect.” The greenhouse
effect is necessary to life on Earth, but relies on a balanced carbon budget.
 
The carbon in fossil fuels has been sequestered, or stored, underground for millions
of years. By removing this sequestered carbon from the earth and releasing it into
the atmosphere, Earth’s carbon budget is out of balance. This contributes to
temperatures rising faster than organisms can adapt.
 
Coal
 
Coal is a black or brownish rock. We burn coal to create energy. Coal is ranked
depending on how much “carbonization” it has gone through. Carbonization is the
process that ancient organisms undergo to become coal. About 3 meters (10 feet) of
solid vegetation crushed together into .3 meter (1 foot) of coal!
 
Peat is the lowest rank of coal. It has gone through the least amount of
carbonization. It is an important fuel in areas of the world including Scotland, Ireland,
and Finland. 
 
Anthracite is the highest rank of coal. Anthracite forms in regions of the world where
there have been giant movements of the earth, such as the formation of mountain
ranges. The Appalachian Mountains, in the eastern part of the United States, are rich
in anthracite.
 
We mine coal out of the ground so we can burn it for energy. There are two ways
that we can mine coal: underground mining and surface mining.
 
Underground mining is used when the coal is located below the surface of the Earth,
sometimes 300 meters (1,000 feet) deep—that’s deeper than most of the Great
Lakes! Miners take an elevator down a mineshaft. They operate heavy machinery
that cuts the coal out of the Earth and brings it above ground. This can be dangerous
work because cutting coal can release dangerous gases. The gases can cause
explosions or make it hard for miners to breathe.
 
Surface mining is used when the coal is located very near the surface of the earth.
To get to the coal, companies must first clear the area. They take away the trees and
soil. The coal can then be cut out of the ground more easily. Entire habitats are
destroyed during this process.
 
About half the electricity in the United States comes from coal. It gives power to our
lights, refrigerators, dishwashers, and most other things we plug in. When coal is
burned, it leaves “byproducts” that are also valuable. We use the byproducts to make
cement, plastics, roads, and many other things.
 
Advantages and Disadvantages
Coal is a reliable source of energy. We can rely on it day and night, summer and
winter, sunshine or rain, to provide fuel and electricity. 
 
Using coal is also harmful. Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Coal miners are exposed to toxic dust and face the dangers of cave-ins and
explosions at work.
 
When coal is burned, it releases many toxic gases and pollutants into the
atmosphere. Mining for coal can also cause the ground to cave in and create
underground fires that burn for decades at a time. 
 
Petroleum
 
Petroleum is a liquid fossil fuel. It is also called oil or crude oil.
 
Petroleum is trapped by underground rock formations. In some places, oil bubbles
right out of the ground. At the LaBrea Tar Pits, in Los Angeles, California, big pools
of thick oil bubble up through the ground. Remains of animals that got trapped there
thousands of years ago are still preserved in the tar!
 
Most of the world’s oil is still deep under the ground. We drill through the earth to
access the oil. Some deposits are on land, and others are under the ocean floor. 
 
Once oil companies begin drilling with a “drill rig,” they can extract petroleum 24
hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Many successful oil sites produce
oil for about 30 years. Sometimes they can produce oil for much longer.
 
When oil is under the ocean floor, companies drill offshore. They must build an oil
platform. Oil platforms are some of the biggest manmade structures in the world!   
 
Once the oil has been drilled, it must be refined. Oil contains many chemicals
besides carbon, and refining the oil takes some of these chemicals out.
 
We use oil for many things. About half of the world’s petroleum is converted
into gasoline. The rest can be processed and used in liquid products such as nail
polish and rubbing alcohol, or solid products such as water pipes, shoes, crayons,
roofing, vitamin capsules, and thousands of other items.
 
Advantages and Disadvantages
There are advantages to drilling for oil. It is relatively inexpensive to extract. It is also
a reliable and dependable source of energy and money for the local community.
 
Oil provides us with thousands of conveniences. In the form of gasoline, it is a
portable source of energy that gives us the power to drive places. Petroleum is also
an ingredient in many items that we depend on. 
 
However, burning gasoline is harmful to the environment. It releases hazardous
gases and fumes into the air that we breathe. There is also the possibility of an oil
spill. If there is a problem with the drilling machinery, the oil can explode out of the
well and spill into the ocean or surrounding land. Oil spills are environmental
disasters, especially offshore spills. Oil floats on water, so it can look like food to fish
and ruin birds’ feathers. 
 
Natural Gas
 
Natural gas is another fossil fuel that is trapped underground in reservoirs. It is
mostly made up of methane. You may have smelled methane before. The
decomposing material in landfills also release methane, which smells like rotten
eggs.
 
There is so much natural gas underground that it is measured in million, billion, or
trillion cubic meters. 
 
Natural gas is found in deposits a few hundred meters underground. In order to get
natural gas out of the ground, companies drill straight down. However, natural gas
does not form in big open pockets. Natural gas is trapped in rock formations that can
stretch for kilometers. 
 
To reach natural gas, some companies use a process called “hydraulic fracturing,”
or fracking. Hy