Fossil Fuels
A group of natural substances that can be burned to produce energy. The three main fuels are coal, oil and natural gas and are classified as such due to the way they are formed.
Over millions of years, carbon-rich organic material (such as decaying vegetation on the continental and ocean floor) is buried and compressed underground with such pressure and heat that it transforms into fuels. Hence the name ‘fossil’ fuels due to the age old process and often underground exploitation involved. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is produced when these are burned, making up a section of the carbon cycle.
