Our Environment Contents

2. Impacts

Fossil fuel burning

Power plant

A new dimension of environmental issues was added with the exploitation of fossil fuels - peat, coal, natural gas, and oil. The legacy of the industrial revolution was readily visible in the soot-covered architecture of the built environment. The pollution had a range of impacts both locally and further afield.

Possibly more serious still are the effects of climate change from the enhanced greenhouse effect, largely caused by the continued burning of such fuels today.

What are the main environmental impacts of fossil fuel burning?