Chinese Coal Mines

Coal production in the world has been a revolutionary aspect for humans. Life today as we know it is easy because of the significant impact coal had during the Industrial Revolution. Coal is namely one of the cheapest energy sources available on Earth when being compare to oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy but it creates a few problems when it’s used, specifically environmental ones. Nonetheless this energy resource has been a key concept for many countries as it has provided them with a booming economy. An example would be China who is one of the largest producers and consumers of this energy resource.

Coal mining benefits are one to debate because it has its share of both pros and cons. Economically speaking coal is relatively cheap to extract when compared to other energy sources such as oil. It mainly involves the clearing of a land in order to create a mine where the coal is located whether it’s on the surface or underground. Massive economies such as that of China benefit from this tremendously as it provides them with infrastructure as well as creates jobs for their people (who are going to extract it, process it, transport it, etc.) Also, the government receives huge amounts of national revenue from major coal companies due to taxes and royalties as it is a prosperous industry. Not only that but because of China being the largest producer of coal they have no need to import major coal shipments from other countries thus leading them to save money.

The negative costs and impacts that China’s coal production has on it is that it’s literally leading them to a “dried up economy”. Coal production needs water to function and it’s a resource that is becoming extremely limited throughout much of China due to climate change an...

... middle of paper ...

...ng an oligopoly, they have this envision to get rid of small mines because of their inefficiency and hazardous settings. This was determine due to the constant fatalities that have occurred throughout coal mining production leading China to declare to shut down 2,000 coal mines by 2015.

The future of Chinese coal mines is that it’s not going anywhere any time soon. By getting the government involved and setting standards coal production in China could still be prosperous in the long run. If this is combined along with the usage of alternative energy resources it could last even longer.

Finally, my input on Chinese coal mining is that they must improvise for the benefit of themselves and the world. If China does not change their ways and relies predominantly on coal it wouldn’t bring sudden consequences but more gradual ones such as global warming and health hazards.