Negative Effects Of Coal On The Environment

The Negative Impacts of Coal to the Environment

The mining and burning of coal is detrimentally affecting our every aspect of our environment. Coal has been seen by economists as a cheap way to get energy around the world, however coal isn’t cheap. Yes, the price may be lower than some more environmentally friendly options, but it won’t be cheap once our air, water and land are ruined. Everything in the path of the coal production is being altered in a negative way. First the coal is mined, which makes an impact on the geography of the area where it is being taken from. The coal that is mined above ground has taken away mountain tops, so that I could reach more. The loss of the land to coal mining, has taken away homes for animals ruined

The issue of coal would be out-of-sight-out-of-mind if it wasn’t for the coal trains. This source of transportation it getting more people riled up because of what it does to the areas surrounding the tracks. As the coal trains travel, they burn an average of 2 gallons of deasil per mile. The deasil is then put into the neighboring town’s air, creating dirtier air to breath. The emission of deasil isn’t the only thing that is messing with local environments, but also the coal dust that is covering the grounds along the train’s path. Many of the lands that surround the tracks are farming lands. The vegetables on land near the tracks have come up with testing of arsenic and harmful metals, which are found in coal. The dust harms the ground as well as the plants that are in

The coast of coal is quite reasonably less than that of clean energy sources. The reason that so many people are proposing for more coal plants, is because they cost an average of 1 million less than if we went in the direction of clean energy. Coal is making its comeback now because of the raising prices of other fuels and the want for adorable electricity. Coal helps keep electricity prices low, but also boosts security by offering and alternative to foreign fuel. This low cost energy doesn’t come without a larger price, of our environment’s wellbeing. The new plants would only add to the issue and not make it better. “These new added plants would also add more airborne mercury and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide into the air,” (Clayton). Even though coal might be cheap now, but it will grow as more and more of our streams all filled with its excess of toxic chemicals. “It would increase the likelihood of future cost increases for coal.” This idea of cheap energy might seem like a quick fix now, but we will be paying for it in the