fossil fuel: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 7, 2026

News •

Brazil puts forward a plan to wean the world off fossil fuels • Nov. 4, 2026, 6:04 AM ET (Los Angeles Times)

Climate scientists face deluge of public-records requests about fossil-fuel studies • Oct. 19, 2026, 2:04 PM ET (Nature)

Just what damage can the emissions from a new fossil fuel facility cause? A new tool has estimates • Oct. 15, 2026, 3:00 PM ET (The Guardian)

Facts

Also Known As	mineral fuel

Did You Know?

There are approximately 1.7 trillion barrels of crude oil reserves worldwide.
In 2015, coal fueled approximately one-third of the United States's electricity.

Photos and Videos

bituminous coal

Coal-fired electric power plant in Rock Springs, Wyoming, with multiple smokestacks emitting white plumes, set against a clear sky and surrounded by dry grassland.

A blue and red oil well pumpjack stands on a concrete platform in a grassy field, with connected pipes visible in the foreground.

Line graph showing the Keeling Curve, which tracks atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels at Mauna Loa from 1965 to 2025. The graph shows a steady upward trend from about 320 to over 420 parts per million, with seasonal fluctuations. An inset highlights the annual cycle of CO2, demonstrating both the short-term oscillations and the long-term increase.

Three coal power plant smokestacks emit thick white plumes of pollution into the air, illustrating carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use.

global warming scenarios

Diagram of the carbon cycle showing how carbon moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, land, and ocean. Arrows connect processes like combustion, plant and animal respiration, decomposition, fossil fuel formation, and ocean absorption, with labeled pathways for carbon flow.

Do fossil fuels really come from fossils?

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

petroleum natural gas coal oil shale asphalt Do Fossil Fuels Really Come from Fossils?bitumen What causes acid rain?pyrobitumen torbanite biofuel diesel fuel gasoline kerosene octane number fuel oil

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Combination shot of Grinnell Glacier taken from the summit of Mount Gould, Glacier National Park, Montana in the years 1938, 1981, 1998 and 2006.

Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Global Warming

13 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Easiest Science Quizzes

Electric power lines against sunset (grid, power, wires, electrical, electricity)

Energy & Fossil Fuels