Coal Energy
Coal is an un-renewable fossil fuel which is known as a cheap and reliable energy source. It has many environmental impacts, both positive and negative. Coal has a great economical effect providing thousands of people with jobs, and harmfully leaving individuals with un-producible land. It has a social impact negatively when people live near coal mines.
Coal is a flammable, mostly black rock, which has been located in 50 different countries around the world. Coal is known as a fossil fuel because it is formed from vegetation that grew more than 400million years ago. There are several processes you have to go through before using coal for its purpose; mining, transporting, cleaning then finally burning.
The Coal is found in layers underground, which are called seams. A seam of coal can be unbelievably, metres thick. The seams are found on the surface or deep underground. When the fuel is found near the surface, it is dug out of huge pits called open cast mines. In contrast, when it is found deep underground, it is mined with digging shafts and tunnels. Coal is very important these days, as coal is 37 per cent of the electricity generated worldwide.
There are many negative environmental impacts coal has to offer to our environment and to us humans. One of which is coal dust. Coal dust floats around in the air of a mine. When miners don’t wear masks, they breathe in the particles which clog our airways and lungs. Above all coal dust can be deadly; by causing lung cancer. For example, China has the largest death rates of miners mining coal, being more than thousands each year. This is a huge threat to humans. But due to the fact that coal is an extremely flammable product, coal fires occur frequently in both abandoned coal mines and coal waste piles. Globally, thousands of underground coal fires are burning right now. This has an enormously negative effect on wildlife and their environment.
We all clearly realise that coal causes some negative
Coal is a flammable, mostly black rock, which has been located in 50 different countries around the world. Coal is known as a fossil fuel because it is formed from vegetation that grew more than 400million years ago. There are several processes you have to go through before using coal for its purpose; mining, transporting, cleaning then finally burning.
The Coal is found in layers underground, which are called seams. A seam of coal can be unbelievably, metres thick. The seams are found on the surface or deep underground. When the fuel is found near the surface, it is dug out of huge pits called open cast mines. In contrast, when it is found deep underground, it is mined with digging shafts and tunnels. Coal is very important these days, as coal is 37 per cent of the electricity generated worldwide.
There are many negative environmental impacts coal has to offer to our environment and to us humans. One of which is coal dust. Coal dust floats around in the air of a mine. When miners don’t wear masks, they breathe in the particles which clog our airways and lungs. Above all coal dust can be deadly; by causing lung cancer. For example, China has the largest death rates of miners mining coal, being more than thousands each year. This is a huge threat to humans. But due to the fact that coal is an extremely flammable product, coal fires occur frequently in both abandoned coal mines and coal waste piles. Globally, thousands of underground coal fires are burning right now. This has an enormously negative effect on wildlife and their environment.
We all clearly realise that coal causes some negative
Bibliography: Chapman, G & Hodges, G 2010, Coal, Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd, 15-19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141. Coal Energy, 2012 Department of Energy, accessed 17 April 2013, . Coal mining: Most deadly job in China, 2004, China Daily, accessed 21 April 2013, . Economic Impacts, 2012 Coal association of Canada, accessed 18 April 2013, . Energy files coal Morgan, S2007, Coal, Gas and Oil.