Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) are non-renewable sources of energy formed in the earth over the past 550 million years, typically from the remains of marine microorganisms and plants. Sealed off from oxygen and put under ever-increasing amounts of heat and pressure, this organic matter undergoes a thermal breakdown process that ultimately converts it to hydrocarbons.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release pollutants which contribute to global warming and acid rain.
The United States gets 80% of its total energy from fossil fuels. They heat our homes, run our vehicles, power industry and manufacturing, and provide us with electricity. Eventually, the degree to which we depend on fossil fuels will have to decline as they are non-renewable resources, as the difficulty and cost of tapping remaining reserves increase, and as the effect of their continued use on our planet grows more critical.
In 1950, nearly equal amounts of U.S. residential energy came from petroleum, coal, natural gas, and wood, and relatively little came from electricity (5%). In 2018, the U.S. residential sector consumed natural gas (43%) and electricity (42%) in nearly equal shares. Similarly, the U.S. commercial sector’s 2018 energy consumption was also mostly natural gas (38%) and electricity (50%).
By Steven Mufson Photo: Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle
A House committee, accusing oil companies of deception, releases a trove of internal documents revealing how these firms view the ‘energy transition’
By Patricia Cohen Photo: Sam Bush, The New York Times
Major oil and gas companies have raked in multibillion-dollar profits at unheard-of levels. Households around the world are reeling from soaring energy prices, while governments are struggling with outsize spending and slowing economic growth.
By Heather Richards Photo: Cedar Attanasio, AP Photo
The Interior Department is considering a 20-year moratorium on new oil development around Chaco Canyon National Historical Park in New Mexico, an area important to many Indigenous communities.
By Dave Davies
New York Times science writer David Wallace-Wells says the cost of solar and wind energy has fallen dramatically. Nevertheless, we're still facing painful, long-lasting changes to the planet...
By Meg Jacobs Photo: Sebastian Siadecki
President Biden knows the political power of the price of gasoline. About two weeks ago, fearing what an uptick in gas prices might do to Democrats at the ballot box in the midterms, Mr. Biden…
By Somini Sengupta, Steven Lee Myers and others Photo: Sergei Chirikov/AFP/Getty Images
Vladimir V. Putin has long used Russia’s oil and gas as instruments of power at home and abroad. With the invasion of Ukraine in February, he has made them a weapon of war.
By Evan Halper Photo: Omar Marques, Getty Images
The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow last year ended with a resounding repudiation of fossil fuels, with countries including the United States signaling that it would be a costly mistake to move forward with big…
By Stanley Reed Photo: Maxim Shemetov, Reuters
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, said on Tuesday that it had earned $42.4 billion in net income in the third quarter. The figure was more than double the nearly $20 billion that Exxon…
By Maxine Joselow and Others Photo: Salwan Georges, The Washington Post
Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202! Our colleague Brady Dennis will moderate two conversations today at 11 a.m. ET with Jigar Shah, director of the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, and Liane Randolph,…
By Ben GemanAndrew Freedman
The International Energy Agency, for the first time, is projecting a "noticeable peak in overall fossil fuel consumption within this decade" under nations' existing policies, Ben writes.
By Nicholas Kusnetz Photo: David McNew, Getty Images
When Continental Resources announced a deal last week to take the oil company private, it joined a trend that has swept across the fossil fuel sector in recent years. With investors agitating for energy companies…
By Robinson Meyer Photo: Franco Origlia / Getty
You’d be forgiven, at this point, for believing in what the MSNBC host Chris Hayes calls the “gas prices monocausal theory” of American politics. Every major political dynamic, every twist and turn in approval polling…
02/18/22
Is natural gas a fossil fuel? The answer to this question is a bit complicated. Natural gas is, in fact, a fossil fuel, but it is not the same type of fossil fuel as coal…
10/06/20
Net anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) must approach zero by mid-century (2050) in order to stabilize the global mean temperature at the level targeted by international efforts.
10/01/20
This working paper models 26 countries and finds national average emission reductions of 6 per cent from the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.
10/01/20
This paper assesses whether ExxonMobil Corporation has in the past misled the general public about climate change.
08/20/20
New data shows how fossil fuel companies have driven climate crisis despite industry knowing dangers
08/20/20
We’ve long known that the big fossil fuel companies are responsible for a huge share of the world’s carbon emissions. Now the Climate Accountability Institute is publishing new data quantifying how much each of these…
02/19/20
With her trademark black humor, Maddow takes us on a switchback journey around the globe, revealing the greed and incompetence of Big Oil and Gas along the way, and drawing a surprising conclusion about why…
01/01/20
As the pressure to act on climate change builds, the industry should consider a range of options.
10/09/19
New research has shown that just 20 fossil fuel companies have allowed their relentless greed to ignore decades of warnings about what their practices were doing...
09/16/15
Top executives were warned of possible catastrophe from greenhouse effect, then led efforts to block solutions
By Anna Phillips Photo: Craig Hudson/Bloomberg News 10/18/22
Diesel trucks are some of the biggest health and climate offenders on the road. The industry isn’t racing to change that.
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg News 10/18/22
The administration faces big political pressures, but it has been criticized for leaning heavily on the reserve as gas prices have largely stabilized.
By Capital & Main Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images 10/10/22
Hailed by President Biden as “the most aggressive action ever to combat the climate crisis,” the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) commits $369 billion to clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction. But the IRA’s progress towards…
By David Mchugh 10/07/22
Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia have decided to slash the amount of oil they deliver to the global economy. And the law of supply and demand suggests that can only mean…
By Evan Halper By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images 10/04/22
As prices at the pump trend up nationwide, the Biden administration is scrambling to shelter Democrats from consumer frustration, laying blame on oil company opportunism and threatening new restrictions on the industry.
By Damian Carrington Photo: David Goldman/AP 09/27/22
More than 24,000km of new oil pipelines are under development around the world, a distance equivalent to almost twice the Earth’s diameter, a report has revealed. The projects, led by the US, Russia, China and…
Dr. Zeke Hausfather and Others 09/11/22
When shockwaves ripple across global oil and gas markets, local communities in oil- and gas-producing regions of the United States feel pronounced economic repercussions. While Russia’s war in Ukraine is currently stimulating public interest in…
By Nate Raymond 09/08/22
US Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Thursday rejected Sunoco LP’s request to block efforts to enforce a $155 million judgment against the fuel retailer in a lawsuit accusing it of failing to pay interest…
By Danielle Kaeding Photo: Danielle Kaeding, WPR 09/08/22
A federal judge has ruled Canadian energy firm Enbridge Inc. trespassed on Bad River tribal lands and profited at the tribe’s expense but stopped short of shutting down an oil and gas pipeline across the…
By Clark Mindock Photo: REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi 08/30/22
ExxonMobil Corp must pay a $14.25 million fine over air pollution at its Baytown, Texas crude oil refinery, a federal appeals court affirmed Tuesday. It is the largest penalty ever assessed in a citizen enforcement…
By Jeff Jeffrey 08/19/22
The area of southwest Houston that is home to the second-largest Indochinese population in the United States was devastated by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic hardships left in its wake. But things…
By Dino Grandoni and Others Photo: Tim Rue, Bloomberg News 08/17/22
A federal appellate judge struck down a lower court’s decision that had stopped the Biden administration from pausing the auction of oil and gas drilling rights in federal lands and water, a key campaign pledge…
By Cara Buckley Photo: Jonathan Brady, Associated Press 08/11/22
They’ve taken hammers to gas pumps and glued themselves to museum masterpieces and busy roadways. They’ve chained themselves to banks, rushed onto a Grand Prix racetrack and tethered themselves to goal posts as tens of…
By Pippa Stevens Photo: Brandon Bell, Getty Images 08/11/22
Gas prices are below $4 for the first time since March, but the market remains precarious and experts said it’s too early to know if the move lower will hold. The national average for a…
By Jon Hurdle Photo: Robert Nickelsberg, Getty Images 08/10/22
Lora Snyder never had a problem with the water that supplies her house from a private well until an Energy Transfer subsidiary, Sunoco Pipeline, started in 2018 to drill a tunnel about 1,000 feet away…
By Hiroko Tabuchi Photo: Melissa Golden, The New York Times 08/07/22
After years of spirited opposition from environmental activists, the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a 304-mile gas pipeline cutting through the Appalachian Mountains — was behind schedule, over budget and beset with lawsuits. As recently as…
By Joe Wallace Photo: David Hecker, Getty Images 08/03/22
One measure of how fast the war in Ukraine has redrawn the energy map: The U.S. is sending more gas to Europe by ship than Russia is by pipeline, according to data firm ICIS. Pipelines…
By Tony Briscoe Photo: Brian Van Der Brug, Los Angeles Times 08/01/22
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Monday that the state has reached a settlement with the federal government to halt new oil and gas leases on public lands in Central California until the potential risks…
By Gustaw Szarek 08/01/22
The combustion of fossil fuels produces 83 percent of global CO₂ emissions. In a net-zero transition, they would be eliminated through a shift in the energy mix. By 2050, oil production would be 55 percent…
By Stanley Reed 07/28/22
Shell reported record earnings for the second consecutive quarter on Thursday, as the energy giant continues to prosper from high oil and gas prices spurred by the war in Ukraine and other factors.
By Molly Taft Photo: Chris Carlson 07/13/22
There’s more trouble with the Colonial Pipeline: The nation’s largest gasoline pipeline reported a spill in Tennessee in early July, adding onto more than a year of public problems with the company, from a catastrophic…
By Matthew Brown Photo: AP Photo/Matthew Brown 06/29/22
The U.S. government this week is holding its first onshore oil and natural gas drilling lease auctions since President Joe Biden took office after a federal court blocked the administration’s attempt to suspend such sales…
By Lisa Friedman Photo: Pete Marovich 06/24/22
President Biden’s top aides are weighing whether to ban new oil and gas drilling off America’s coasts, a move that would elate climate activists but could leave the administration vulnerable to Republican accusations that it…
By Laura B. Comay 06/23/22
Five-Year Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program: Status and Issues in Brief Congressional Research Service 1 nder the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended,1 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the…
By Patricia Cohen Photo: Yves Herman/Reuters 06/22/22
The head of the International Energy Agency said high prices for fossil fuels would probably persist for years.
By David Blackmon Photo: Getty Images 06/16/22
This has been a week when a rift seemed to develop among global political leaders regarding the “incredible” energy transition agenda. It’s a rift that once again shows us that political elites who don’t have…
By Earthjustice and Evergreen Action Photo: David Mcnew / Getty Images 06/15/22
President Biden can use his legal authority to transition the U.S. away from oil, gas, and coal by aligning the federal leasing program with his climate and environmental justice commitments...
By Maxine Joselow Photo: Matthew Brown/AP 06/15/22
The federal fossil fuel leasing program is at odds with President Biden's commitments to tackling climate change and environmental injustices, according to a report shared exclusively with The Climate 202 before its public release...
By Ella Koeze and Clifford Krauss Graph: Energy Information Administration 06/14/22
Gas prices in the United States are at record highs. And even when adjusting for inflation, they are on average at levels rarely seen in the last 50 years, including during the energy crisis of…
By Maxine Joselow and Others Photo: Andrew Harnik , Reuters 06/13/22
Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202! Today we're worried about a shortage of Sriracha because of extreme droughts in Mexico, where the hot-sauce company sources its chile peppers. One could say it's a…
By Steven Mufson Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar , Bloomberg News 06/08/22
Big oil and gas companies have internal data showing that their methane emissions in the vast Permian Basin “are likely significantly higher than official data” reported to the Environmental Protection Agency, says a new report…
By Steven Mufson and Others 06/02/22
The exits make it far less likely that drilling will take place soon in a vast, unspoiled landscape that has achieved iconic status among environmentalists and has been fought over for half a century. An…
By Lisa Friedman Photo: Tim Gruber , The New York Times 06/02/22
The Biden administration on Thursday will move to restore authority to states and tribes to veto gas pipelines, coal terminals and other energy projects if they would pollute local rivers and streams, reversing a Trump-era…
By Mattea Mrkusic, Lena Moffitt and Others 06/01/22
This report will focus on one of the dirtiest uses of America’s federal public lands and waters: fossil fuel development. The U.S. federal government sells leases to private companies which allow them to extract oil,…
By Clifford Krauss Photo: An Rong Xu , The New York Times 06/01/22
The European Union’s embargo on most Russian oil imports could deliver a fresh jolt to the world economy, propelling a realignment of global energy trading that leaves Russia economically weaker, gives China and India bargaining…
Analysis by Maxine Joselow Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News 05/31/22
Democratic lawmakers in two of the nation's most populous states are pushing legislation to punish the fossil fuel industry for its apparent role in causing droughts, wildfires and other disasters exacerbated by climate change.
By Steven Mufson Photo: Alastair Grant , AP 05/27/22
Five years ago, Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden sat down for an interview with The Washington Post and said “we believe that climate change is real. We believe that the threat of climate change…
By Chris Flood 05/26/22
Chief executive Tim Buckley said the group, which manages $8.1tn for more than 30mn investors and is the largest investor in coal companies globally, was determined to safeguard its clients from climate risks but this…
By Maxine Joselow Photo: Richard Drew/AP 05/26/22
Nearly two-thirds of investors in ExxonMobil and Chevron on Wednesday rejected proposals for the oil giants to align their climate strategies with the Paris agreement.
By Amy Westervelt Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images 05/25/22
The industry moved quickly to capture the narrative, going from disinformation blitz to policy wins within a matter of weeks.
By Manuela Andreoni 05/24/22
At Stanford University, the question is ringing loud. This month, hundreds of students, faculty members and alumni, in an open letter, called on the university’s new climate school to decline funding from fossil fuel companies.
By Lesley Clark Photo: AP Photo 05/18/22
Climate liability lawsuits from state and local governments against fossil fuel companies are creeping closer to a new Supreme Court showdown.
By Kasha Patel Photo: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg News 05/17/22
In 2015, 1 in 6 deaths worldwide stemmed from poor air quality, unsafe water and toxic chemical pollution. That deadly toll — 9 million people each year — has continued unabated through 2019, killing more…
By Thomas L. Friedman Photo: Michael Hanschke/Reuters 05/17/22
It has long been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. By that definition, we’re the ones detached from reality if we…
By Maxine Joselow Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images 05/13/22
Investors in three of the world's largest oil and gas companies this week rejected proposals for the firms to set stronger climate targets, as fossil fuel firms reap record profits following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
By Anna Phillips Photo: Eric Gay , AP 05/12/22
The Interior Department confirmed Wednesday that it will not hold three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska that had been scheduled to take place, taking…
By Hiroku Tabuchi Photo: Sunday Alamba , Associated Press 05/10/22
When Royal Dutch Shell sold off its stake in the Umuechem oil field in Nigeria last year, it was, on paper, a step forward for the company’s climate ambitions: Shell could clean up its holdings,…
By Clifford Krauss Photo: Jessica Lutz for The New York Times 05/06/22
Russia’s natural-gas supplies have become a tool of leverage in its conflict with Europe over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the stakes are high for Europe, which relies on Russia for 40 percent of…
By Ben Lefebvre 05/05/22
The actual purchases would be for deliveries after fiscal year 2023, in “future years when prices are anticipated to be significantly lower than they are today, and will represent a first tranche of purchases to…
By Matina Stevis-Gridneff Photo: Nikolay Doychinov/Agence France-Presse 05/04/22
The ban, once seen as unlikely, is a significant tightening of the squeeze on Russia’s economy, and a financial blow to Europe, too.
