1. Oil is formed through a natural process that takes millions of years. It is primarily made from the remains of ancient marine organisms such as algae and zooplankton that lived in oceans and seas millions of years ago. When these organisms died, their remains settled at the bottom of the water bodies and were covered by layers of sediment over time.
2. The phrase "burning oil is like burning fossilized sunlight" is often used metaphorically to describe the energy stored in oil. It highlights the fact that oil is derived from ancient sunlight captured by plants and other photosynthetic organisms millions of years ago.
3. Several climate forcings have a positive radiative forcing, meaning they contribute to warming the Earth's climate system.
4. The positive radiative forcing caused by these climate forcings leads to an overall warming of the Earth's climate system. When these greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, they act like a blanket, trapping outgoing heat radiation from the Earth's surface. This trapped heat increases the average temperature of the planet, resulting in global warming.
5. Some climate forcings have a negative radiative forcing, meaning they contribute to cooling the Earth's climate system.
6. The negative radiative forcing caused by these climate forcings leads to a cooling effect on the Earth's climate system. Aerosols and volcanic emissions reflect incoming solar radiation back into space, reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth's surface. This results in a decrease in average global temperatures.