9 Advantages Of Fossil Fuels: Enjoy Them

While They Last

It can be difficult to defend fossil fuels because they

continue to be more and more villainized, not just by the scientific community but by pretty much
everyone except the profiting companies. But the truth is that fossil fuels have a lot of advantages
we rarely discuss, and the fact remains that if the world population was 100 million instead of 7
billion, we would not be having the problems were dealing with today.
A number of authentic advantages of fossil fuels are detailed below, but its always good to round
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1. Safe And Stable

This probably seems counter-intuitive, but fossil fuels are actually extremely safe and stable to
handle. As many people know, fossil fuels are primarily composed of carbon, which of course is a
very stable element. There is also a good bit of hydrogen in fossil fuels. Certain isotopes of
hydrogen are stable while others tend to be very reactive and, subsequently, unstable. But carbon
exists so plentifully that fossil fuels remain both stable and productive. This means they can be
handled, stored, transported, etc. without significant risk or side-effect.
Comparison: Yes, wind, solar and geothermal energy are even more safe and stable, but they
dont pack the punch that fossil fuels do. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, is the most efficient
source of energy we have yet discovered, but it is produced specifically because its radioactive
elements are unstable. For a complete guide to the trade-offs of energy sources, check out this
Energy Economics and the Environment class taught by former White House economist, Ben Ho.

2. Abundant
Theres a whole lot of fossil fuels left, which is good to know (at least in terms of powering the
world). They also happen to be available pretty much anywhere in the world, although to varying
degrees of excess, of course. Its hard to find a consensus concerning how much longer fossil fuels
will be available, but it is believed there is a 300 year supply of coal. Thats a nice buffer to have,
but oil is far less generous. We can only continue to use oil at our current rate for another 40-50
years before worldwide production is abruptly cut in half.

3. Cheap?
You might curse when you fill your car up with gas, but fossil fuels are still one of the cheapest
energies available, and you even get a lot for what you pay for. And believe it or not, drilling into
the Earths crust isnt as expensive as you might think. Even the refinement process is relatively
cost effective. Fossil fuels also maintain the advantage of pre-existing, if you will. In other
words, they are waiting to be harvested. They dont need turbines or heat pumps or nuclear power
plants to extract the energy. Even though wind and solar energy quickly pays for itself, the initial
investment is nonetheless a powerful deterrent. Your electric bill is never fun to pay, but think
about what it gets you: a more or less perfect living temperature, running water, ideal lighting,
fresh and frozen foods, energy for all electronic devices, etc. etc. etc.
Still, a fair outlook considers all options. Read this post on the 5 advantages of wind energy that
everyone should know and sleep well knowing you have a well-balanced perspective on energy
sources.

4. Part Of The Routine

Weve been burning fossil fuels for many, many decades. Technology used to harness fossil fuel
energy has been refined continuously and is now incredibly efficient and safe. We are comfortable
with fossil fuels; we know everything about them; they are familiar to us and there is no doubt that
if they were not detrimental to the environment or non-renewable, we would use them indefinitely.

5. Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of fossil fuels are undeniable, although this doesnt come without its vices.
Government subsidies to oil companies number in the billions of dollars, and campaign
contributions from oil companies are convincing, to say the least. But fossil fuels do employ a vast
workforce directly, and indirectly the impact is truly of a global scale. If you consider how much of
the world runs on fossil fuels, and how many companies are dependent upon them, and how many
products would not exist without them, you start to realize just how much fossil fuels have
infiltrated life as we know it.
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6. The Cost Of Change

Ive been stressing this point a lot already, but lets keep in mind how much of the world runs on
fossil fuels. Almost all vehicles, all major (and minor) facilities and factories, all large equipment,
the vast majority of heating and cooling systems, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
Even things that are run on electricity are technically still run on fossil fuels; how do you think the
electricity is generated? Odds are, by burning coal.
But the point is this: If we, as a country or global community, were to make a major transition to
another energy source, we would have to perform a complete makeover of an unfathomable
portion of our lives, our livelihoods, our economy, etc. The amount of energy and resources

required to make this transition is dubious, at best. Unfortunately, due to the undeniable evidence
now supporting global warming, this transition is going to have to happen sooner or later.

7. Transportation
I mentioned this briefly at the beginning of the post, but because fossil fuels are relatively safe and
stable, they are similarly safe and stable to transport. This is certainly not the case for nuclear
energy, which is nerve-racking in every stage of its development. Oil, coal and even gas are stable
enough to transport in a number of efficient ways. They can carried on large trucks or pumped
through piping above or below ground. And again, these are all materials and methods we are
familiar with and which do not have significant costs.
This incredibly informative article by The Energy Collective does an excellent job of detailing the
costs and processes of harvesting nuclear energy, which I, for one, found to help me put things in
perspective. You might also consider this post on 10 advantages of nuclear energy to help keep
your opinion on fossil fuels unbiased.

8. Byproducts
Normally the byproducts of fossil fuels are nothing to write home about, but a lot of people dont
realize that plastics are a direct, useful byproduct of fossil fuels. They might not be alleviating the
strain we place on the environment, but they are undoubtedly useful and inexpensive. If you
consider the truly important uses of plastics, from medical equipment to computers, you realize the
benefits are substantiated.

9. Calorific
Yes, calorific is a word, and it refers to the effectiveness of energy sources. Fossil fuels, by certain
measurements, have the highest calorific value. They are definitely more effective than wind or
solar energy, although if we can discover more efficient ways to harness geothermal energy, that
might give fossil fuels a run for their money. But for the moment, fossil fuels are king in terms of
literally being worth their weight.
But just because fossil fuels have their benefits doesnt mean you have to get on board with them.
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