How does using fossil fuels impact communities in the USA? Burning fossil fuels is responsible for many environmental issues. Examples are greenhouse gas accumulation, air pollution, water pollution, damage to land surface and ground-level ozone, and affect every individual living on this planet. In the year 1997, when the world's population was 5,840,324,240,the total fossil fuel used during this ONE year was the result of 422 years of all plant matter that grew on the entire surface and in all the oceans of the ancient earth. Since that time, the worlds population has grown by 2 billion individuals, and so has our energy requirement. Sign our petition to have Duke Energy provided programs such as community gardens, forest education, and organized cleanups in an effort to offset their carbon footprint.