2. What are the fossil fuels?
• They were formed by natural
resources within the top layer
of the Earth’s crust. When
burnt, they produce carbon
dioxide.
• They were formed through
anaerobic decomposition of
dead organisms.
• Well-known fossil fuels: coal,
petroleum (oil), natural gas.
3. Coal
• Coal is a fuel formed over millions of years by decay of
land vegetation. When layers are compacted and heated
over time, deposits turn into coal.
• It is formed via a process called coalification during
which peat is altered physically and chemically.
• Coalification culminates in the formation of lignite,
anthracite and bituminous.
4. Oil
• It is formed by dead organisms which have been
buried underneath sedimentary rocks.
• Because of intense heat and pressure, these organisms
transformed into petroleum.
5. Natural Gas
• It is a gaseous fossil fuel that is
versatile, abundant and relatively
clean compared to coal and oil.
• It is formed from the remains of
marine microorganisms.
• It usually consists of over 80% of
methane.
• In order to be used, natural gas
must be processed. The by-
products of this processing are:
propane, butane, nitrogen and
helium.
7. The very first civilisations to have used fossil
fuels
• The Chinese were pioneers in exploiting fossil fuels. In
China, coal had been used for heating and cooking since
3490 BC.
• Likewise, fossil fuels were also used in early medieval
Europe to some extent.
• However, fossil fuels were deemed an inferior fuel
because they emitted huge amounts of soot and smoke.
Thus, people preferred wood to fossil fuels.
8. • Later on, between about 1500 and 1660, Britain started
suffering from wood shortages and henceforth wood
was replaced by coal.
• The massive use of this new energy resource triggered
the Industrial Revolution.
9. What do we mean by the term “Industrial
Revolution”?
• The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th
to the 19th century, was a period during which agrarian
(rural) societies in Europe and America became industrial
and urban.
• Prior to the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was often
done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines.
• But thanks to industrialization, machinery, factories and mass
production were first introduced in the realm of technology.
• The iron and textile industries, along with the development
of the steam engine enhanced systems of transportation,
communication and banking.
10. The positive impact of the I.R. on the daily
life of people
• Proliferation of goods available for the public
• Reasonably priced goods
• An improved quality of life for the upper classes (health
care, education and nutrition)
• Job possibilities are on the increase
11. The negative impact of the I.R. on the daily
life of people
• Grim working conditions for the
working class (few breaks, little
payment, long hours etc.)
• Gloomy living conditions for
the working class (poor public
health, small life expectancy etc.)
• Urbanization, abandoning
farming as a means of living
• Children forced to work (child
labor)
• Environmental pollution
12. Enough about the Industrial Revolution, it is high time we
talked about the present time and age.
13. Nowadays, fossil fuels are used…
• To fuel various means of transportation
• To heat our homes
• To make medicines, cosmetics, plastics and lubricants
• To make clothes, shoes and other accessories
• To manufacture electronic devices
• In essence, so ubiquitous and important are fossil fuels that
they are used in the manufacturing of nearly all goods.
14. Some of the advantages of the wide use of
fossil fuels
• They are easily available
• They produce a great
amount of energy
• They are cost – effective
• They can be easily stored
and then transported to
another place
• They have high calorific
value and thus they are very
effective fuels
15. What is technology?
• The branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and
the use of technical means and their interrelation with life,
society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects
as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure
science.
• The application of this knowledge
19. In medicine
• Organ Transplantation
• Improvements in Heart Surgery and
Cardiac Care
• Antibiotics and Antivirals
• Vaccines
• Surgical Anaesthetic and Antisepsis
20. In business
• Business Management Applications
• Email and Office Applications
• Customer Self-Service
• Customer Feedback
• Web Conferencing
• Mobile Apps
• Video & Audio Hosting
21. Some of the advantages of technology
• Easy communication between people in every corner of
the world
• Information readily accessible
• Improved housing and lifestyle
• Improved entertainment
• Convenience in education
• Convenience in traveling
• Efficiency and productivity in business and in industries
• Increased automation of manufacturing
• Excellent health care system
• Innovation and creativity encouraged
22. The exploitation of fossil fuels as well as the development
of technology are two double – edged swords, with two
sides to the issue, and the negative aspects are about to be
presented in the following slides.
23. Disadvantages of the wide use of fossil fuels
in general
• They are non-renewable
sources of energy.
• They pollute the
environment.
• They affect negatively
human health.
• They cause wars and
economic crisis.
• They are difficult and
dangerous to extract.
24. The impact of fossil fuels on the
environment
They create:
– The Greenhouse effect
– Oxygen reduction
– Air pollution
– Global warming
– Acid rain
– Land pollution
– Deforestation
– Floods
– The death of marine life because of toxic wastes
25. The impact of fossil fuels on human health
The air pollution from fossil fuels interconnects with:
– Headaches
– Nerve damage
– Fatigue
– Skin irritation
– Cardiovascular illness
– Cancer
– Respiratory illnesses
– Premature deaths
26. The disadvantages of technology
• The disadvantages of technology could be divided into
two categories:
1. The negative impact on human health
2. The negative impact on the environment
27. The negative impact on human health
• Addiction: When people are
asked not to use their devices,
they feel like they can’t do
away with them.
• Living in a virtual reality. This
results in : alienation,
depression, stress,
aggressiveness and many other
mental problems.
• Extreme dependence on
technology.
28. The negative impact on the environment
• The production of electronic
devices:
– Requires the construction of
factories and in order to built
them, many forests have to
be destroyed (deforestation).
– Results in the production of
toxic waste which can cause
land, air and water pollution.
What is more, such
production puts the life of
both animals and humans in
jeopardy.
29. • Because of the many disadvantages concerning the use of
fossil fuels, environmentalists recommend exploiting
renewable energy. More specifically:
– The combustion of fossil fuels pollutes the environment
and affects human health negatively.
– On the contrary, renewable energy is eco-friendly.
30. What is renewable energy?
• Renewable energy or soft energy is any naturally
occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy,
as wind, wave, tidal, solar, hydroelectric power and
biomass, that is not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel.
31. Which are the renewable resources?
• Wind power: Wind turbines are
used to generate electricity from
the kinetic power of the wind.
• Solar power: Thanks to
photovoltaics, solar energy turns
into electricity. It can be also used
in order to heat water.
32. • Hydropower: Electricity is
produced by the momentum
of flowing water. It can be
used as fuel for cars, airplanes
etc.
• Geothermal power
• Radiant energy: the energy of
electromagnetic and
gravitational radiation.
33. • Biomass: It includes biological
material derived from living, or
recently living organisms. It is
better to heat places by using
biomass rather than oil and gas.
• Biodiesel is a fuel made from
plant oils which can be used in
diesel engines. They are organic
raw materials such as soybean or
rapeseed oils, animal fats, waste
vegetable oils or microalgae oils.
34. Some of the advantages concerning
renewable energy
• It’s a renewable resource.
• It produces little waste. Thus, it is eco-friendly.
• It leads to the creation of many jobs.
• Facilities don’t need much maintenance.
35. Some of the disadvantages of renewable
energy
• The electricity generation capacity is not enough.
• Installation of wind turbine, solar panels, and
hydroelectricity plants are expensive.
• Renewable energy is low-efficient.
