Answer:
The mechanical energy produced on burning fossil fuels is transformed into chemical energy stored in carbon dioxide.
Explanation:
When fossil fuels are burnt, mechanical energy is produced. Remember that according to the first law of thermodynamics, energy is neither created nor destroyed but can be transformed from one form to another. Hence the mechanical energy produced when fossil fuels are burnt for industrial use, heating of homes, electricity generation , cooking etc the mechanical energy produced is not 'lost'. It must be transformed in to another form of energy.
In the image the arrow G----> C, shows the mechanical energy produced when fossil fuels are burnt are stored as chemical energy in CO2 bonds. CO2 is found in the atmosphere, hence the arrow point upwards from the source towards the atmosphere (C is the atmospheric reservoir of CO2). The energy is subsequently used by producers to produce chemical energy stored in food.
