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Fossil Fuels

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Fracking. Benchmarks for Science LiteracyLearn more about the Benchmarks Social and economic forces strongly influence which technologies will be developed and used. Which will prevail is affected by many factors, such as personal values, consumer acceptance, patent laws, the availability of risk capital, the federal budget, local and national regulations, media attention, economic competition, and tax incentives. Explore the map of concepts related to this benchmark Teaching Tips Fracking is a controversial political subject. About the Science An animated diagram shows how the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is used to extract natural gas. About the Pedagogy A background essay, discussion questions, and a link to standards are provided.

Technical Details/Ease of Use The resource has closed captioned text. Have you used these materials with your students? Please use this space only for discussion about teaching with these particular materials. Join the Discussion Log in to reply. The Formation of Fossil Fuels - Earth: The Operators' Manual. Topics Grade Level Regional Focus Energy Literacy Benchmarks for Science LiteracyLearn more about the Benchmarks Some resources are not renewable or renew very slowly. Fuels already accumulated in the earth, for instance, will become more difficult to obtain as the most readily available resources run out.

How long the resources will last, however, is difficult to predict. Explore the map of concepts related to this benchmark Teaching Tips A stimulating introduction for deeper exploration into the carbon cycle. About the Science Accurate and easy-to-follow story of fossil fuel formation, from photosynthesis to geologic transformation into coal, oil, and natural gas. About the Pedagogy A good overview of fossil fuel formation that can help set the stage for more detailed activities. Technical Details/Ease of Use Well-produced, professional segment from an hour-long PBS program. Have you used these materials with your students? Join the Discussion Log in to reply. Australia's carbon bubble. The Australian Coal Association recently hired some consultants (ITS Global) to review the carbon bubble thesis.

For clarification, here are our corrections and responses to their output. The two degree commitment Our reports use this as a reference point, as it is indeed the stated objective of the international community. We respect the right of companies, investors and other parties to take a view on how likely this outcome may be. However if the market is currently assuming that the only possible outcome is that the world will go to the other extreme (ie six degrees of warming), then it is not giving sufficient consideration to any lower temperature scenario. The implications of not achieving the two degree target As has been widely documented by a range of institutions from the World Bank to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the social, economic and environmental impacts of global warming will have far wider and more serious consequences than tackling emissions. Ignoring CCS Misquoting the IEA.

Unburnable carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets. This new research from Carbon Tracker and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE calls for regulators, governments and investors to re-evaluate energy business models against carbon budgets, to prevent $6trillion carbon bubble in the next decade. Unburnable carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets has revealed that fossil fuel reserves already far exceed the carbon budget to avoid global warming of 2°C, but in spite of this, spent $674billion last year to find and develop new potentially stranded assets. “Smart investors can see that investing in companies that rely solely or heavily on constantly replenishing reserves of fossil fuels is becoming a very risky decision. The report raises serious questions as to the ability of the financial system to act on industry-wide long term risk, since currently the only measure of risk is performance against industry benchmarks.”

Professor Lord Stern The carbon budget deficit Stranded assets Wasted capital. 300 Years of FOSSIL FUELS in 300 Seconds. How Many Gigatons of CO2? Fossil Fuel Formation. Fossil fuels. Fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas were formed over millions of years from organic matter like plankton, plants and other life forms. Over time, sand, sediment and rock buried the organic matter and it eventually formed large quantities of fuels. These underground resources, known as fossil fuels, are still the primary fuel source for electricity, heating and powering vehicles around the globe. Five main fossil fuels Coal is a combustible black or brown organic sedimentary rock. Natural gas is a combustible mix of hydrocarbon gases. Oil is mostly known as crude oil or condensate, but includes all liquid hydrocarbon fossil fuels.

Petroleum is a liquid fuel made of hydrocarbons and other liquid organic compounds. Liquefied petroleum gas or LPG is heavier than natural gas. Inside a gas plant: fast, flexible fuel Ever wondered how gas is converted into electricity for your home? Natural gas in Australia- Inside a natural gas plant Source: Origin Energy LPG is produced in Australia. Earth Science Australia. Welcome! | Oresome Resources - Minerals and Energy Education. Interactive - Rock Back in Time | Interactives. The Minerals Council of Australia is acknowledged as the provider of this resource. In this learning object, users choose a rock sample and find out how it was formed millions of years ago. For example, how coal was formed in a swampy forest. Explore the Earth’s surface at the time when the rock formed.

Look at maps, landscapes, living things and environments. Educational value statement Key learning objectives Students explore changes in the Australian landmass, environments and living things over the last 545 million years.Students compare climatic conditions and sea levels over geological time.Students relate geological changes in the Earth’s surface to plate tectonics.Students identify major periods in the geological time scale.

Strands Science/Natural and processed materialsScience/Science inquiry skillsScience/Science understanding. Australian Curriculum content statements (explicit)Science: ACSSU153; [ACSIS144] Download 'Rock Back in Time' to your computer. Fossil Fuels. Fossil fuels: Energy from fossilised organic materials Custom Search How it works: Coal is crushed to a fine dust and burnt. Oil and gas can be burnt directly. The main bit to remember: More: More details on 'clean coal technology' from BBC News web site... Other fossil fuels are being investigated, such as bituminous sands and oil shale. As far as we know, there is still a lot of oil in the ground. Find out more at www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/canada.html Disadvantages Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution.