What are the positive and negative impacts of coal?

What are the Positive and negative parts of using Coal as a source of energy? Coals major advantage is that it supplies us with electricity. The disadvantages of coal are the mining process (the way we get it out of the ground) and pollution that occurs when coal is burned.

What are the positives of coal mining?

The Advantages of Coal

• Coal is the Cheapest of All Fossil Fuels.
• Coal is the Number One Energy Source.
• Coal Mining is a Big Business.
• Coal Has More Uses Than Just for Energy.
• Production Isn’t Governed by the Weather.
• Coal Reduces Reliance on Foreign Oil Imports.
• Coal is Cleaner Than You Think.

What are the negatives of coal mining?

Cons

• Coal is nonrenewable.
• Coal contains the most CO2 per BTU, the largest contributor to global warming.
• Severe environmental, social and health and safety impacts of coal mining.
• Devastation of environment around coal mines.
• High cost of transporting coal to centralized power plants.

What are 3 negative effects of coal mining?

Several principal emissions result from coal combustion:

• Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which contributes to acid rain and respiratory illnesses.
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to smog and respiratory illnesses.
• Particulates, which contribute to smog, haze, and respiratory illnesses and lung disease.

When coal is burned what gases are released?

carbon dioxide
But when coal burns, its carbon combines with oxygen in the air and forms carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colorless, odorless gas, but in the atmosphere, it is one of several gases that can trap the earth’s heat.

What impact does coal mining have on the environment?

The extraction of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) will generate produced water that, if not adequately treated, will pollute surface and groundwater systems. In Australia, the discharge of produced water from coal mining and related activities is regulated by the state environment agency through a pollution licence.

Why we should stop using coal?

Coal-fired power plants have been linked to developmental defects in 300,000 infants because of their mothers’ exposure to toxic mercury pollution. Asthma rates are skyrocketing in communities exposed to particulates from burning coal, and now one out of ten children in the U.S. suffers from asthma.

Is it safe to live near a coal mine?

Coal mining, especially mountaintop mining, has been linked to increased exposure to toxic pollutants, increased morbidity and mortality, and adverse impacts on mental health for people living nearby. Our findings suggest that this dimension of coal use should be regulated as well.

What are some pros and cons of coal?

The Pros of Coal Energy

• The availability of coal makes it very affordable.
• The energy infrastructure supports coal.
• The cost of coal is quite cheap.
• There is no lag time with coal energy.
• Clean coal technologies help to limit the emissions that are released.
• It can be converted into different forms of fuel.

Why is coal burned?

People began using coal in the 1800s to heat their homes. Trains and ships used coal for fuel. Factories used coal to make iron and steel. Today, we burn coal mainly to make electricity.

What is released when natural gas is burned?

Natural gas flaring produces CO2, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and many other compounds, depending on the chemical composition of the natural gas and on how well the natural gas burns in the flare.