Final answer:
Fossil fuels are extracted using methods like surface and underground mining for coal, drilling for oil, and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Each method poses serious environmental risks, including habitat destruction, water contamination, oil spills, and greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation of these fuels also contributes to potential environmental damage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The extraction of fossil fuels incorporates various methods specific to each type:
- Coal – Extracted through surface mining, including strip mining, mountaintop removal, and open-pit mining, as well as through underground mining.
- Oil – Obtained using drilling techniques, which may include offshore drilling platforms and deepwater drilling, as evidenced by the Deepwater Horizon incident.
- Natural gas – Extracted through conventional drilling and increasingly through hydraulic fracturing (fracking), which involves injecting high-pressure fluids into shale formations.
Each extraction technique presents major environmental hazards:
- Coal – Can result in deforestation, ecosystem destruction, and water contamination from tailings.
- Oil – Causes risks of oil spills, like the Deepwater Horizon spill, which can devastate marine ecosystems and coastlines.
- Natural gas – Fracking has been linked to groundwater contamination, and methane leaks contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, the transportation of these fuels by pipeline, tanker, rail, or truck increases the potential for spills, leakage, and associated environmental harm.