Upon arrival to Earth this acidic rain damages everything that is falls on. The evidence of acid rain is extremely visible in the damaged forests, polluted soil, and the contaminated plants and animals that are spread around the globe. This acid rain is so damaging it is also blamed for destroying the ancient Greek structures that have previously remained intact (Burning www 2). .

             To add to the list of health and environmental problems associated with the burning of fossil fuels, global warming is also a major threat. "Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere" (EPA 1). Carbon dioxide along with many other gases are building up in the Earth"s atmosphere which, traps heat and is causing the Earth"s temperature to increase (EPA 1). Since the industrial revolution the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased due to global warming. This melt-off has also caused the world"s sea level to rise over four inches in the past century (EPA 2).

             Besides the health and environmental problems caused by the burning of fossil fuel there are many other problems. One of the most pressing of these problems is the undeniable fact that "fossil fuels are an exhaustible resource that will eventually run out"(Cole 28). When the worlds supply of fossil fuels runs out there is no way to replenish this non-renewable resource and the world will be forced to find an alternative energy source. However, there is debate over how long we have before we exhaust our source of fossil fuels. The majority of all scientists in this field agree that there is a 95% possibility that the worlds remaining oil resources will last sixty-three more years at the current rate of consumption (Oil 1). In other words, in the near future the world must begin to rely on a new energy source to ensure our survival.