Updated

Deutsche Welle published an explainer on fossil fuels, describing their presence in shampoo bottles, car engines and home heating. The piece explains that coal, oil and natural gas are carbon and hydrogen energy sources formed from ancient plants and plankton buried under sediment and transformed by heat and pressure. It notes that fossil fuels supply about 80% of energy needs for heating, electricity and transport, and that their use has risen eightfold since 1950. Coal is mined while oil and gas are drilled, and the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia hold large reserves. The outlet also reports that fossil fuels are the biggest contributor to climate change through carbon dioxide emissions, and that Brazil has presented a roadmap to turn the COP28 pledge to transition away from fossil fuels into national plans.