What Are the Disadvantages of Coal Energy?
Coal contributes to a variety of environmental and health problems both during mining and burning. Although there has been talk of revitalizing the industry with new "clean coal" technology, this solution will offer new challenges to the coal industry and may prove difficult and costly to implement effectively.
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Land Destruction
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Many coal mines employ mountaintop removal, in which they demolish the tops of mountains to get to the coal within. This allows them to do more work with fewer miners. According to the website Appalachian Voices, mines sometimes destroy the top 600 feet of a mountain with round-the-clock dynamite blasting. This creates massive amounts of debris which is strewn across the surrounding landscape.
Water Contamination
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Coal contains dangerous chemicals which leach into soil and water systems. In "Coal and the Environment," the Energy Information Administration asserts that water contamination is one of the largest environmental and health risks associated with coal. Both surface and ground water become tainted as mining debris clogs local streams, acidic water drains from old mines, and coal ash is stored in landfills.
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Mercury
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The coal industy is the leading mercury contaminator in the U.S. One of the most dangerous chemicals in coal is mercury. Mercury enters the water, either directly or through the soil. It eventually works its way into our bodies either via drinking water or in contaminated seafood. As mercury levels build up in the body, it can cause neurological and developmental disorders in humans and animals.
Climate Change
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Coal is one of the leading greenhouse gas contributors in the U.S. The U.S Energy Information Administration reports that coal emits more carbon dioxide (CO2) per pound than either natural gas or oil. According to Richard Conniff of Yale Environment 360, about half of all U.S. electricity is supplied by coal, generating about 2 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2006 alone---over a third of all U.S. emissions. Both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are released by burning coal. They can cause acid rain, which causes environmental degradation and respiratory health problems.
Health Problems
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Coal emissions cause a variety of respiratory problems, such as asthma. Burning coal releases an array of harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. In "Coal and the Environment," the U.S. Energy Information Administration lists sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulates, all of which contribute to respiratory and heart health problems, such as asthma. The Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately 12,000 coal miners died of pneumoconiosis, or black lung, between 1993 and 2002.
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- Photo Credit winter coal image by Rick Smith from Fotolia.com fish image by shadowvincent from Fotolia.com Doctor examines the patient image by Ella from Fotolia.com
