Imagine a typical house with all the usual appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners. Every month, this house gets an electricity bill. Let’s say this house is in Kentucky, where most of the energy comes from coal. Coal is a fossil fuel, and to understand how it powers our homes, we need to travel back in time to meet the fossils that make it possible.
We have to go back about 300 million years to the Carboniferous period. During this time, there were forests filled with trees called lepidodendrons. These trees absorbed sunlight and carbon from the air to grow. When they died, new trees grew in their place, and this cycle continued for millions of years. Over time, the layers of dead plants were pressed down, concentrating all that ancient carbon and sunlight into a hard black rock we now call coal.
Let’s say our Kentucky house uses about 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a month, which is average. This electricity comes from burning about half a ton of coal, which is the energy equivalent of two ancient trees, each about 60 feet tall. So, every month, this house uses the energy from two old trees. Over a year, that’s 24 trees, and over a decade, it’s 240 trees—a mini forest of ancient energy just to power one home!
Cars also use fossil fuels, but instead of coal, they use gasoline, which comes from oil. Oil is made from tiny plant-like creatures called phytoplankton that lived in the ocean millions of years ago. When they died, their remains settled on the ocean floor, eventually turning into oil under pressure. When you fill your car with gasoline, you’re using the energy from countless ancient micro plants. For every inch you drive, you’re burning the remains of 20 billion of these tiny plants!
Today, we use a massive amount of fossil fuels. In just one year, like 2018, the amount of ancient organisms turned into fossil fuels and burned by humans is staggering. If you add up all the coal, oil, and natural gas we use, it weighs 100 times more than all the living things on Earth today. That’s 55 trillion tons of ancient carbon in a single year!
We are using up these ancient resources very quickly, and it’s important to understand the impact of our energy consumption. By learning about the origins of fossil fuels, we can better appreciate the energy that powers our lives and think about how we can use it more wisely.
Imagine you’re a time traveler visiting the Carboniferous period. Create a diorama of a forest from this era using materials like clay, paper, and paint. Include trees like lepidodendrons and other plants that contributed to the formation of coal. Present your diorama to the class and explain how these ancient forests eventually became the coal we use today.
Estimate how much electricity your home uses in a month and calculate how many ancient trees would be needed to power it, just like the example of the Kentucky house. Create a chart or graph to visualize your findings and discuss ways to reduce your household’s energy consumption.
Write a short story from the perspective of a phytoplankton that lived millions of years ago and eventually became part of the oil used in cars today. Illustrate your story with drawings or digital art and share it with your classmates to help them understand the journey from ancient life to modern fuel.
Research and calculate the amount of fossil fuels used in a typical day of your life, including electricity, transportation, and other activities. Create a presentation to share your findings and propose three actionable steps you can take to reduce your fossil fuel footprint.
Participate in a class debate about the future of energy. Divide into groups and argue for or against the continued use of fossil fuels versus renewable energy sources. Use facts from the article and additional research to support your arguments, and discuss the potential impacts on the environment and society.
Fossil – The preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past, often found in sedimentary rock. – Scientists study fossils to learn about the types of plants and animals that existed millions of years ago.
Fuels – Materials that are burned or consumed to produce energy. – Many vehicles run on fuels like gasoline and diesel to operate.
Coal – A black or brownish-black sedimentary rock that is used as a fuel source. – Coal is often burned in power plants to generate electricity.
Energy – The ability to do work or cause change, which can come from various sources like the sun, wind, or fossil fuels. – Solar panels capture energy from the sun to power homes and businesses.
Trees – Large plants with a trunk, branches, and leaves that produce oxygen and provide habitats for many species. – Trees play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Carbon – A chemical element found in all living things and a major component of fossil fuels. – Carbon is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned.
Gasoline – A liquid fuel derived from oil, used primarily to power internal combustion engines. – Cars and trucks typically use gasoline to run their engines.
Oil – A liquid fossil fuel that is used to produce energy and make various products like plastics. – Oil spills can have devastating effects on marine ecosystems.
Ancient – Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence. – Ancient forests once covered large parts of the Earth, providing habitats for diverse species.
Organisms – Living things, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms. – All organisms depend on their environment to survive and thrive.
