Why is oil bad for the environment?

Oil is used as fuel for various purposes in our daily activities. Bio fuels which are derived from plants are found to release less carbon-dioxide than the fossil fuels. The carbon-dioxide released from the peat swamps also contributes for the greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia would be ranked third if the emissions from peat swamps were considered as greenhouse gas emission.

Fossil fuels are available in the forms of peat, coal, petroleum, lignite and natural gas. Nearly 90 percent of electricity demand is created by fossil fuel. Oil is considered as a hazard for environment. Oil cannot be used as renewable energy source. Apart from its drastic effect on the environment, the cost of extracting the fossil fuel as crude oil and then converting it into fuel oil is very high.

Burning of the oil through combustion in the vehicles release carbon-dioxide and carbon-monoxide into the atmosphere. Burning of oil by various ways releases greenhouse gases into the environment. In the process of production of energy from the fossil fuel, the resultant substances are causing air and water pollution. The burning of fuel also results in accumulation of solid wastes which might cause several illnesses in humans as well as degrade the land.

The drastic effect of oil as fossil fuel shows the loss of aquatic life. The carbon-dioxide is major contributor for global warming. Global warming affects many areas on the earth in many aspects. One of them is melting of ice in Antarctica. The molten ice enhances the sea level which alone can affect the agriculture, fishing and settlement commercially as well as for amusement purpose.

Air pollution is another problem created by oil usage. Oil burning results in creation of smog that can cause human ill health and reduce the crop yield. During the conversion of oil from fossil fuel solid wastes get accumulated a lot. Retrieval of fossil fuels from the ground under the sea might result in oil spills which will spoil the environment.