In this blog post, we’ll examine the dual nature of fossil fuels—how they have driven humanity’s remarkable progress while also causing environmental problems.

Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas

Coal is a fossil fuel formed when layers of trees—composed primarily of cellulose and lignin—accumulated in thick deposits and were carbonized under pressure. Depending on the degree of carbonization, it is classified into peat, subpeat, lignite, bituminous coal, and anthracite. Next, oil refers to unrefined liquid hydrocarbons in their natural state or their refined forms. Finally, natural gas is a flammable gas that occurs naturally underground, with hydrocarbons as its main component. It is classified into reservoir gas, gas field gas, and coalbed methane based on its source.

The History of Fossil Energy Before the Industrial Revolution

The first fossil fuel used by humankind to obtain energy was coal. According to historical records, China was the first place where coal was used. Records indicate that it was used in China as early as the 4th millennium BCE. Subsequently, Greek texts from 315 BCE document the use of coal as fuel in blacksmith shops, and the earliest record of coal as a household fuel dates back to the 12th century in China’s Song Dynasty, when taxes were levied on coal used for domestic purposes. Coal was discovered in the 9th century in Britain and in the 10th century in Germany. Although its use subsequently became widespread throughout the world, the dramatic increase in coal consumption did not occur until after the Industrial Revolution.
So, when did people begin using oil as an energy source? In fact, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where and when oil was first used. Around 2000 BCE, ancient Westerners used oil that naturally seeped up from the ground as a lubricant or a laxative, and it is said that around 400 BCE, the Persian army coated arrowheads with oil as a flammable substance when attacking Athens. Furthermore, records indicate that when Europeans explored the New World in the 15th century, the indigenous peoples—the Native Americans—were already using petroleum. Of course, in the East as well, it is noted in a historical text written by Ban Gu during the Han Dynasty that China began using petroleum as early as 2000 BCE. Before the term “petroleum” was first used, it was referred to by various names such as “water fertilizer” (水肥), “rock fat” (石脂), “fire oil” (火油), and “rock brain oil” (石腦油); the person who first established the term “petroleum” was Shen Kuo (1031–1095), a scientist of the Song Dynasty. He also prophesied that “petroleum comes from the earth, and since it exists in such great quantities, it will be widely used by people in the future.” However, it was not until the 19th century in the West that petroleum, which had appeared in history in this way, began to gain recognition as a useful energy source.

The Industrial Revolution: The Golden Age of Coal

In the mid-18th century, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, coke began to be produced to replace the charcoal that had previously been used in ironmaking. Subsequently, there was one event that significantly elevated the status of coal: the invention of Watt’s steam engine. With the invention of the steam engine, demand for coal as a power source skyrocketed. Furthermore, in addition to using coal itself, people began utilizing gas, ammonia, and tar extracted from coal, and synthetic dyes made from coal tar were introduced.
Although technology for producing synthetic oil from coal was developed, it was not widely used because its efficiency was significantly lower than that of petroleum. This period can be described as the heyday of coal; however, as the mid-to-late 20th century approached, its importance began to decline as it was replaced by other fossil fuel sources—namely, petroleum and natural gas.

The Transition from Coal to Oil Following the Industrial Revolution

As the 19th century began, the importance of oil began to be recognized over that of coal, and it became the focus of attention; by the mid-19th century, that interest had grown significantly. The London newspaper ‘The Times’, in its January 21, 1861, edition, reported, “In November 1859, an oil well was drilled in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania to extract petroleum or rock oil.” This suggests that Westerners were already aware that oil was widely distributed throughout Europe, the West Indies, and the Persian region. But the significance of this article goes beyond that. It can also be seen as a sign that the center of global industry was already beginning to shift toward the United States, and it could be interpreted as a harbinger of the balance of power shifting from Britain to the United States. This is because the person featured in the article is Edwin L. Drake (1819–1880), who was the first to successfully carry out modern oil drilling operations. Although oil was already well known before he ushered in the oil age, all literature on the history of oil unanimously cites the success of American Edwin L. Drake in drilling for oil in Pennsylvania on August 27, 1859, as the beginning of modern oil exploration.
Subsequently, the internal combustion engine for automobiles, invented in 1885 by G. Daimler and C.F. Benz of Germany, became the foundation for the development of the automotive industry from the late 19th century onward, and the subsequent advancement of internal combustion engines led to a significant increase in the amount of oil consumed for transportation. Furthermore, the diesel engine, invented by R. Diesel of Germany in 1893, was used in various applications such as ships and automobiles, contributing to the rise in oil consumption. Meanwhile, a 1904 report from the United States noted that oil was superior to coal in many respects as a boiler fuel, leading to an active shift from coal to heavy oil.
The event that marked the beginning of widespread global use of petroleum was World War II. Afterward, as rising energy demand clashed with the limited supply of coal and hydroelectric power, even countries that had relied on coal shifted to a system of extensive petroleum use. Petroleum also began to be widely used worldwide for residential heating and cooking.

The Oil Shock: A Clear Example of the Economic Influence of Fossil Fuels

As global consumption began to surge, the balance between oil supply and demand gradually began to break down. Furthermore, since oil reserves were limited to regions such as the United States and the Middle East, the status of oil-producing countries inevitably rose day by day. Ultimately, the Fourth Middle East War, which began on October 17, 1973, escalated into an oil war. The six oil-exporting nations of the Persian Gulf announced at an OPEC meeting that they would raise the official price of crude oil by 17%; they followed this by declaring their decision to cut monthly crude oil production by 5% compared to the previous month, thereby declaring their intent to use oil as a political weapon. As a result, oil prices skyrocketed nearly fourfold within a year, before the situation finally stabilized in 1978. This was the First Oil Shock.
The oil shock plunged the global economy into a widespread recession, and countries around the world recorded massive deficits in their balance of payments. As a result of this First Oil Shock, OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) seized control over crude oil pricing—which had previously been monopolized by international oil capital—and this led to a strengthening of resource nationalism.
However, the Second Oil Shock occurred in late 1978, triggered by civil unrest in Iran, and continued into early 1979 following the Islamic Revolution. This Second Oil Shock also dealt a severe blow to the global economy, leading to a decline in economic growth rates and a sharp rise in prices. These two oil shocks served as clear examples of the influence that oil-producing countries, with their fossil fuel reserves, exert on the global economy.

Environmental Issues Holding Back Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are essentially fuels composed primarily of hydrocarbons. Their classification changes depending on the additives included, which can include various substances such as sulfides and nitrogen compounds. However, since hydrocarbons are the primary component, the combustion of fossil fuels generally produces carbon dioxide as the main byproduct. This carbon dioxide is identified as a greenhouse gas—the primary culprit behind global warming, a topic of great concern in recent years. It is precisely this carbon dioxide that limits the use of fossil fuels from an environmental perspective. Furthermore, carbon dioxide emissions are currently being regulated worldwide, and carbon credits have even come to hold significant economic value.
To continue using fossil fuels while addressing this situation, various alternatives have emerged—such as technologies to store carbon dioxide underground or on the seabed—but these are currently insufficient to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to a level commensurate with current fossil fuel consumption. It is, quite literally, a catch-22 situation.

The Need for Alternative Energy

Given this situation, continuing to rely on fossil fuels means not only incurring immediate economic losses but also enduring environmental damage and the secondary economic losses resulting from that damage. Consequently, the global community is searching for sustainable alternative energy sources that are efficient enough to replace fossil fuels.
Natural gas is generally considered an alternative to fossil fuels, but this is a completely mistaken notion. As mentioned earlier, natural gas is a type of fossil fuel; it, too, is a fuel composed primarily of hydrocarbons. While it could be used broadly to prevent environmental damage other than global warming, using natural gas as an alternative energy source would not solve the problem of global warming—the primary environmental issue caused by the use of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels have evolved from being a major driver of human progress to becoming a primary culprit of environmental pollution. They have served humanity much like morphine administered to a weary soldier on the battlefield. Before the adverse effects of morphine consume the soldier, humanity must now break free from its addiction to fossil fuels—which has also begun to show adverse effects—and seek out alternative energy sources.

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