There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. Fossil fuels supply 85% of the nation's energy. Coal is used primarily to produce electricity, oil gives us transportation and natural gas is used primarily to produce heat. On average, each individuals energy consumption is 3 times higher now than in the early 1900's and we have more than 10 times the people.
  Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect while coal produces even more carbon dioxide than oil or gas. Parts of our polar ice caps and most mountain glaciers are starting to melt, and will most likely cause a rise in sea level of up to 1 m (40 in) within your lifetime, which would flood coastal regions. It could also affect weather patterns causing major droughts, flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
  Acid Rain is caused primarily from smelters and coal burning power plants. It occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted into the atmosphere. they undergo chemical transformations and are absorbed by water droplets in clouds. This causes the acidification of lakes and streams and contributes to the damage of trees at high elevations. Birds can also lay defective eggs with thin and highly porous egg shells, which result in eggs failing to hatch because of shell breakage and desiccation. 
  Air pollution is another problem coming from the use of fossil fuels, and can result in the formation of smog which we talk about in detail in one of our other articles. Smog not only affects our breathing, but also wildlife and plants too.
  Fossil fuels are slowly running out anyway and something has to change! Why wait until the last minute, you can start making a difference right now by making your next car a hybrid, or using high efficiency light bulbs. It doesn't take much to save energy, it just takes some knowledge. Hopefully this website fills that need for knowledge.

P. S.
  With the need to transport oil in large ocean tankers, the number of oil spills is ever increasing and eventually there won't be any large animals left. For example, a large spill near Squamish, British Columbia on Friday August 4, 2006 of thick bunker oil by the Westwood Annette, has sent that area's estuary into a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Thousands of rare birds and many other animals are dying every day, unless you help. This isn't some sort of disaster where nature chooses animals for extinction, this is murder for money, and nothing more. It's not necessary to depend on oil, and it's about time governments started to act on it, much faster than they are.
Squamish Environmental Conservation Society