fossil fuel

Also known as fossil fuels

combustible fuel containing hydrocarbons formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, examples being coal, petroleum and natural gas

AI overview

Fossil fuels are energy sources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas that formed over millions of years from the remains of dead organisms buried deep underground. They matter because they are combustible—meaning they can be burned to release energy—and have become a major source of power for modern societies.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

42,919 papers

Climate Change, Fossil-Fuel Pollution, and Children's Health.ReviewThe New England journal of medicine · 2022Perera F, Nadeau KDOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2117706
Health Effects of Fossil Fuel-Derived Endocrine Disruptors.ReviewThe New England journal of medicine · 2024Woodruff TJDOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2300476
Fossil-Fuel Pollution and Climate Change - A New NEJM Group Series.The New England journal of medicine · 2022Solomon CG, Salas RN, Malina D et al.DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2206300
How fossil fuel-derived pesticides and plastics harm health, biodiversity, and the climate.ReviewThe lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology · 2020Demeneix BADOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30116-9
Strategies to Reduce Fossil Fuel Use in Food Manufacturing.ReviewAnnual review of food science and technology · 2024Grossmann L, Smetana S, Bakalis SDOI: 10.1146/annurev-food-072023-034332
Fossil fuel combustion and PM(2.5) mass air pollution associations with mortality.Environment international · 2022Thurston GDDOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107066
Effects of fossil fuel and total anthropogenic emission removal on public health and climate.ReviewProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2019Lelieveld J, Klingmüller K, Pozzer A et al.DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819989116
Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: observational and modelling study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Lelieveld J, Haines A, Burnett R et al.DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077784

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Wikidata facts

Image: Combustibles fossiles.png

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Commons category: Fossil fuels
hashtag: fossilfuels

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Article

Fossil fuels share energy

A fossil fuel is a flammable carbon compound- or hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the buried remains of prehistoric organisms (animals, plants or microplanktons), a process that occurs within geological formations. Reservoirs of such compound mixtures, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, can be extracted and burnt as fuel for human consumption to provide energy for direct use (such as for cooking, heating or lighting), to power heat engines (such as steam or internal combustion engines) that can propel vehicles, or to generate electricity via steam turbine generators. Some fossil fuels are further refined into derivatives such as kerosene, gasoline and diesel, or converted into petrochemicals such as polyolefins (plastics), aromatics and synthetic resins.