Coal; a nonrenewable energy source that happens to be the most used source of energy in the U.S. Coal comes from the remains of prehistoric plants after they have decayed into the ground and are transformed into coal. The access of affordable energy will be the number one priority for our economy, and that has seemed to be coal. Coal has such a large beneficial impact on our economy, from mining to producing energy the coal industry creates millions of jobs and generates millions of dollars for our economy. Coal does have some negative impacts on our environment but there are steps being taken to lessen the impacts. Other forms of energy also have negative impacts on the environment but do not benefit our economy in the same amount as coal. If harsher environmental regulations are put on coal then you will be making it more difficult to create new ways of making coal cleaner, and negatively affecting our economy. Our nation thrives on the sustainability of our economy, and our economy is sustained by industries like coal that produce millions of dollars for it. According to the Statistic Portal, the coal industry produced 41 billion dollars for our economy between 2009 and 2014 (https://www.statista.com) . Without that income coming into our economy it would suffer tremendously. Moreover another support our economy comes from being able to produce abundant energy for cheap which we have been doing with coal for many years. Coal is produced very cheap and provides an
Carbon emissions are changing the planet for the worse. Energy production (mostly coal) is producing a one third of the US 's global warming emissions. Renewable sources produce little to zero percent. The balance of coal and renewable energy in the U.S. needs to be evened out with renewable techniques. Statistics from the Union of Concerned Scientist’s “Benefits of Renewable Energy Use” show that most renewable resources emit less than one pound of CO2E/kWh. These have significantly less of a carbon footprint than coal, which emits 1.4 to 3.6 lbs. CO2E/kWh or natural gas, which emits .6 to 2 lbs. CO2E/kWh. This impressive difference of carbon emissions between renewable and fossil fuel is the key to caring for our environment. A 2009 USC study found that if 25 percent of the US 's
We should invest in cleaner alternatives that will not only be better for us but the environment. Although coal is used for electricity, there are other ways to produce electricity like water power, wind generators, and solar energy. Water power, or hydropower is power that is derived from the weight of the water. Hydroelectric power plants use dams or rivers to store water to then release the water through turbines that spin it that produces electricity. Wind generators are like water power but instead of water its wind. Wind turbines converts the wind’s energy into electric energy. Solar energy is similar but the energy comes from the sun. Some people use solar energy for their homes so they save money and will not have to pay an electric bill. Instead of burning coal, there are other alternatives as stated
We want instant gratification and coal fits the bill. I noted in my book review of Crude World that Peter Maass didn’t present a balanced picture of the oil industry; it was all bad. He was intended to highlight the negative aspect of our oil dependency. Big Coal is the same in that respect. It is hard to argue that coal hasn’t improved the lives of a great many people around the world, and we know a number of people who would argue that these improvements outweigh the negatives. Further, it is fair to say that the coal industry has come a long way in cleaning up their emission profile over the past few
When I go to my home where I grew up it is all electrical produced and the main producer of that electricity is from coal a fossil fuel. In that area coal is one of the primary exports of that area. (Administration,
Jason Hayes, communications director for the American Coal Council says “the industry over the past few decades had invested over $100 billion in cleaning up emissions and it’s already been effective. All of the important noxious pollutants have decreased markedly over the last 30 to 40 years. We’ve been doing all of this on top of dealing with everything else.” Coal may not be green, but it is a source of energy American needs. It is cheap and efficient. Without coal, America wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today. The coal mined here isn’t just used for energy. America’s
The production of coal energy produces the most amount of carbon dioxide than any other method. It is a non-renewable energy source, and coal mines destroy most of the surrounding areas around it. With the recession going on, no one is buying into coal power plants at the moment which is an economy issue. (Center for Energy)
One of the most important ecological changes needed not only in this country, but globally would be the transition from fossil fuels and coal to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions, which in turn pollute the environment and contribute to adverse climate change. Even though renewable energy is able to regenerate, does not mean that it has no ecological footprint or that renewable energy is completely sustainable for our environment (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). A renewable source of energy is usually one that does require us to mine away at the Earth to receive the source of energy (Week 14 Energy Use & Transportation/Renewable Energy Sources). Renewable energy is important for several different reasons. First, renewable energy has environmental benefits because it provides individuals with clean sources of energy and it reduces the impact that it will have on the environment (Why is renewable energy important?) Second, if we use renewable energy then we will have energy for future generations, such as our children and our grandchildren because renewable energy will never run out we will always have it, unlike other sources of energy that will eventually run out (Why is renewable energy important?). Third, renewable energy sources are important for the world’s economy and for jobs because the money that is spent on renewable energy in the United States will
Coal power is the cheapest fuel to power the ever growing population with Australian mining industry still putting in billions of dollars into a vast amount of coal projects never the less coal power is a fossil fuel, a fuel which takes hundreds of year to form so the future of coal is undetermined. Coal is a reliable power source but one of the many concern with coal is the mining process used to remove it from the ground. Ecological effects are developing worries for the industry, with the carbon emissions possibly contributing to global warming.
“720 tons of carbon monoxide is a main cause of global warming (Why We Need To Quit Coal)”, “3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas also contributes to global warming(Why We Need To Quit Coal)”, “10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide which is a main contributor to smog and acid rains(Why We Need To Quit Coal)”, also over “125,000 tons of ashe and 193,000 tons of sludge from smokestack scrubbers from coal plants(Why We Need To Quit Coal)”. There are many ways to get rid of coal completely but would take a lot of time and space. “We could build 243 hydroelectric dams that have hoover dams generating capacity which is about 2,000 megawatts(Kenward)”. “We could build 10,200 solar energy farms the size of the largest, Topaz energy farm in California but the space needed for this would be about three times the size of Delaware (kenward)”. “We could build 194,000 wind turbines having 2 megawatts each but that's about 8,000 (Kenward)” a year to reach Obama's goal, or “we could build 64 nuclear power plants the size of indian point power station in New York” (Kenward)”. This is all examples of clean energy that we have the technology for but would take a lot of time, money, and space. But with clean energy there is always cons. “If we converted to water power some good things that would happen would be, expands irrigation, provides water for 30% of irrigated land, and provides drinking water(Sideris)”! Now some cons are, “Water wars between the dams, maintenance on dams, expensive, and people would have to relocated(Sideris)”. “For nuclear power it would be very bad because a meltdown could occur and end up like chernobyl(Sideris)”! But not everything is bad about nuclear power like, “the fuel can be recycled, low cost,
The article, “Coal and the Environment”, provides the readers will and understanding of how coal works and also how it is dangerous to our environment. Coal on its own is not dangerous to the environment but once the coal is burned, then pollutants are released into the air causing for less clean air. The government has taken a stand on the industries polluting the air we breathe in everyday with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. These two acts put restrictions on industries that allow for safer and cleaner air.
Coal is cheap and abundant compared to other energy options. It will continue to impact nearly every sector of human activity from powering basic living to global politics. Coal is so important that each person in the United States uses 3.7 tons of it each year. (rmcmi.org). Coal’s production will remain as an important source of energy for many years to
The United States relies heavily on fossil fuels as its main source of energy and with the limited supply, we 'll have to develop and utilize alternative sources for clean, renewable, cheap and effective energy to power this country and the world into the future. It will be important for the health of our planet to utilize renewable resources that have no greenhouse gas emission. Out of necessity the world will eventually need to stop using fossil fuels for energy.
Coal is the most abundant and important source of primary energy in the world. There are reserves spread throughout some one hundred countries to meet global needs up to the next two hundred and fifty years. It is the most important fossil fuel for electricity generation and industrial purposes. But, it has pollution issues to the environment like Air pollution, land degradation, noise pollution, etc. But the pollution I am going to be talking about is water pollution from the coal mines in the Alabama rivers.
Today we rely on a majority of fossil fuels with a small percentage of solar or wind energy generation to power our comfortable living. With fossil fuels being our primary source of energy, we are releasing things such as lead into the atmosphere to be inhaled; coal has to be mined causing deforestation and additionally causes water contamination from mining water runoff, the same to be said with fracking.
Coal is very inexpensive. This helps the U.S. because we won't ave to spend a lot of money