Define then compare and contrast natural gas to oil in a short essay.

Question

What would be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Part one:

Natural gas is a cleaner form of fossil fuels because it releases fewer greenhouse gases than burning oil or coal for energy. The environmental cost to financially produce natural gases is very expensive. Being a fossil fuel means that it is not reusable. When natural gas is burned it can produce a lot of energy that can be used to create plastic, heat a home or for gas stoves, and more. Natural gas can be retrieved the same way oil is by hydraulic fracking. Maintaining these fracking sites are very expensive considering all the heavy machinery that is required. One of the downsides of natural gas is that it is difficult to capture and with fracking, there is the potential risk that the fracking fluids can leak and contaminate the ecosystem because some of the fluids used in fracking for natural gas is toxic (releases half as much carbon dioxide as coal).

Oil, also known as petroleum, is a fossil fuel that’s creation dates back to 300 million years ago. Some scientists speculate that oil is the product of aged diatoms. Diatoms were black sea creatures the size of a pinhead. Similarly, to plants, diatoms can convert sunlight into energy. Oil is usually taken out of the ground by large pumps and then transported away via pipelines or ships which is quite costly when American has to get many of its oil imported from the Middle East. The problem with oil is that we are way too dependent on its finite supply. From cars to boats to many factories and businesses, oil is an essential source of fuel to our lifestyle. As it is used, oil becomes a greenhouse gas that is also a key contributor to climate change.

Part Two:

A common environmental cost to both fuels is they are both non-reusable. Another common environmental cost to both fuels is that oil is acquired the same as natural gas, through drilling wells.

A different environmental cost between the two fuels is that natural gases release substantially fewer greenhouse gases upon consumption. Another environmental cost that they don’t have in common is the oil is burned through the usage of cars, factories, and other industrial machines while natural gas is used through heating homes.

A benefit of each of the fossil fuels is that they both produce a lot of energy when burned.