Skip to main content

Energy comparison: coal the pros and cons

Image
By
Hello,

Today we're talking about coal and how it's used as an energy source. As you've probably already noticed we're not really big fans of coal. So this post is going to be looking into the pros and cons of coal as an energy source.

General facts

Coal is a black sedimentary rock, made of carbon and hydrocarbons, that is found underground. It is formed by the remains of prehistoric plants and animals being buried deep in the earth under the right pressure. Coal, therefore, takes millions of years to form.

Pros

There are quite a few pros to using coal as an energy source. Firstly, it's cheap with a low cost per energy unit. It is also reliable as it can be burned at all times of day, during any weather and at any time of year. This is a big advantage because a lot of renewables are weather-dependent (solar, wind, ...).

There is also currently an abundance of coal, enough to last a few hundred years. It is also easy and safe to store, although there are worries regarding air pollution.

The coal industry provides millions of people with jobs and provides countless companies with their main energy source. These companies couldn't function as effectively with renewables due to price differences. The coal industry also creates large amounts of the power needed to meet global energy demands.

Cons

Even though we have enough coal to last 200 years, it will run out.
If we still rely on coal as primary energy source at the time coal becomes depleted, we as humanity will be in serious trouble.
https://environmental-conscience.com/coal-pros-cons/

Coal is nonrenewable so it can never be a long-term solution. Another major problem is air pollution. The combustion of coal leads to small particles in the air we breathe. This bad air quality has been linked to asthma, cancer, heart problems & neurological problems (https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/coal-and-air-pollution). The coal industry also produces large amounts of greenhouse gases, which are released into the atmosphere (carbon dioxide and methane). It can also lead to acid rain.

Here's a short explanation from one of our previous posts:
It's formed by NOX & SO2 reacting with water and oxygen which will turn them into nitrous acid (HNO2), nitric acid (HNO3) & sulfuric acid (H2SO4), meaning that instead of rain being formed from just water, it is instead also mixed with acid. While acid rain won't harm you, it can harm aquatic ecosystems and forests. When the rain falls on water, it will mix with the water and over time acidify it. This will make it uninhabitable for animals and plants. When the rain falls on trees and plants, it will kill the trees by pulling life-depending nutrients from the soil and weakens the plants' natural defence systems.
Acid rain could lead to crop failure which would cause global food shortages. Using coal also makes us very dependent on world market prices which will rise as coal supplies run short leading to even higher energy costs.

Another massive problem is that mining is necessary to extract coal. Mining leads to habitat and biodiversity loss. People are relocated from their homes, and the mining and transportation process produces even more greenhouse gases.

Ever so slightly radioactive waste is produced during coal mining. Although most of this is caught by filters, small amounts of radioactive ash and dust escape and are carried around by the wind. Even though this is currently considered to not be a threat to humans, there are fears of an increase in lung cancer.

Lastly, coal mines are very dangerous for workers and hundreds die every year. There are also allegations of human rights abuse in coal mines in Pakistan.

Conclusion

In our opinion, coal is not a good idea. It may not be currently possible to get rid of it completely, but we need more solutions. Coal is not only dangerous to the environment, but it is also bad for our health.


We hope that we have given you some things to think about with regards to coal and the use of it as an energy source. Thank you so much for being here and taking the time to read this post, we hope it has been informative.

Your Green World Team💚




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

18.10.20 Animal Of The Week: Sloth

By
Hello, Sorry this didn't come out on Sunday as planned but this week's animal of the week is the sloth because the twentieth of October is Sloth Day.  Habitat The sloth resides in Central and South America. It lives in the rainforests there and occasionally drops into the water for a bathe as, believe it or not, they are actually excellent swimmers! Diet Sloths eat leaves, twigs and buds which they find in the rainforest. As they don't have incisors they smack their lips together to make leaves more digestible. Sloths can survive on relatively little food as it takes a while for them to digest it. Sleep and Speed When you think of a sloth, you probably think of this slow, sleepy creature. They actually sleep for about 15 hours a day! Sloths have an extremely low metabolic rate (what basic calories your body needs to survive), which means they move at a slow pace through the trees. On average, sloths travel 40 yards per day ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Coral reefs

By
Hello! We would love to introduce you to the topic of coral reefs and especially coral reef bleaching, as it is a greatly ignored but certainly significant topic. Have fun! 5 coral reef facts 1. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and is 2300 km long! 2. Less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface is covered in coral reefs. 3. At least 25% of all marine animals live there. 4. Coral reefs are often known as the rainforests of the ocean. 5. In 1 square kilometre of coral reef, up to 35 tons of fish can be 'produced'. The 5 biggest coral reefs in the world 1. Great Barrier Reef (near Australia) 2. Red Sea Coral Reef (near Egypt, Israel and Djibouti) 3. New Caledonia Reef (Pacific Ocean near New Caledonia) 4. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (near Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras) 5. Florida Reef (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico near Florida) What is coral? Coral is actually made up of small anim...
Post a Comment
Read more

29.11.2020 Animal Of The Week: Jaguar

By
Hello, Today (29th November) is world Jaguar day so this week our animal is the Jaguar. The Jaguar is an animal I know pretty much nothing about so I am going to learn a lot too! Jaguars (panthera onca) live for 12 - 15 years. Their heads and bodies are 150-180cm long and their tails are 70-90cm long! They weigh 45 - 110 kg. Habitat Jaguars live primarily in the Amazon Basin, though they can be found in smaller numbers in Central America. They once lived everywhere from central Argentina up to the southwestern United States but since the 1880s they have lost over half of their territory. They are mainly found in tropical rainforests but can live in savannas and grasslands. Diet They eat fish and turtles as they are actually quite competent swimmers as well as deer, iguanas, birds and monkeys; they will eat almost anything! Are they endangered? Jaguars are classed as near endangered and face several threats. South and Central Americ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Photo Essay || Iceland Series (part 1)

By
Hi Everyone! I recently went on a school trip to Iceland! It was such an incredible experience (and I'm going to sound cheesy now) but it was also incredible to do it with some of my closest friends! I saw so many incredible things and learnt so much, so I couldn't resist sharing a little Iceland mini series of posts, all about Iceland, both my experiences there and what I saw, but also the way it uses geothermal energy, and the animals, natural landforms and plants that are there. Today I'm sharing some photos of my trip. These are all photos I have taken, and are also the highlights so please bear that in mind as you browse these! I hope it is interesting and inspires you to book a trip to Iceland! The blue lagoon <33 landscapes.... Lost little farmhouses a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ozone layer

By
Hi everyone, What even is ozone? And the ozone layer? Where does the hole in the ozone layer come from and what does it mean? Is it dangerous? What can be done? Often the ozone-talk can be complicated and confusing, keeping an overview is hard and understanding all the problems always difficult. Let us break it down a bit for you: What is the ozone layer? We'll start with the basics: The ozone layer is part of the stratosphere, which is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, between 10 and 50 km above the Earth's surface and made up of protective gases. One of these protective gases is ozone. There is not much ozone in the atmosphere, only 0.3 molecule of ozone per 1 million molecules of air. This is because ozone is chemically unstable and only forms when ultra violet radiation (UV light) hits oxygen and breaks the bonds between the atoms. It fact it is so unstable that even when it has formed, it breaks down again relatively quickly. This leads to ozone turning back ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Deforestation and why it’s a problem

By
Hi everyone, Welcome back to another post. Today we’ll be talking about deforestation and its impacts on our earth. Deforestation, the widespread clearance of natural forests, has been happening for thousands of years. One example is Western Europe, where, two millennia ago, 80% of the land was cloaked in dense forest cover. However, over time, a significant portion of this green expanse was sacrificed to create room for crops, livestock grazing, and as a source of fuel and building materials. Presently, a mere 34% of Western Europe retains its woodland. Today, the tropics deal with the brunt of deforestation. Activities such as mining, agriculture, road construction, and the establishment of vast cattle ranches drive the mass clearance of tropical rainforests. This results in the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, exacerbating the global climate crisis. The consequences come in two waves: first, the reduced number of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Beavers and their dams: what effects do they have?

By
Hi everyone, Today we're talking about beavers and their effects on the surrounding ecosystems and environments. 'Beaver' referres to two species in the genus Castor . They are found in North America, Europe and Asia and are the largest rodents in those places and the second largest rodents in the world. Beavers grow up to 80 cm long with a flat, paddle-shaped tail up to 45 cm. They have a small head, large incisor teeth and fur lined lips to avoid inhaling water while cutting and transporting branches underwater. They weigh 16-30kg and are nocturnal. Beavers live in streams, rivers, marshes, ponds and lakes where they construct dams. These have earned them the title 'ecosystem engineers' but we'll talk about that later. The dams are constructed with branches, sticks and rocks. They create a calm pool with a higher water level on one side. Beavers make their homes (lodges) in these calm pools. Beaver dams are both have bot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Animals 21-25 in our '50 incredible animals' series

By
Hi Everyone! Here are the next five animals in our current series! We hope you learn something from this. 21. Stick insect Stick insects are masters of disguise. They look like twigs or leaves. This strange appearance makes them hard to spot when stationary. Stick insects are herbivores, feeding on leaves, and can live for up to three years. Their habitat includes most tropical and subtropical regions, but there are a few species that live in temperate areas as well. There are roughly 3 000 different stick insect species! Not much more is known about them, because they are difficult to find. The two main threats to their populations are the pet trade and people killing them so as to frame their carcasses, like butterflies. Their conservation status  ranges from critically endangered to least concern  - so basically every category that is on the list! 22. Glass frog The glass frog is, well, see through. You can literally ...
Post a Comment
Read more

06.09.2020 Animal Of the Week: Seven-spotted Ladybird

By
Hello Everyone, Welcome to this week's animal of the week post. This time about the ladybird, and personally I can't wait to find out more about these creatures. Enjoy! Which ladybird we are investigating today? Today, I am telling you about the seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), which is the most common ladybird in Europe. Other species include the Two Spot Ladybird and other uncommon ladybirds such as the 16 Spot and other peculiar types. Habitat The seven-spotted ladybird lives in a variety of habitats such as meadows, gardens and hedgerows. They can also be found on farmland, especially with crops such as alfalfa, clover and wheat and corn before it grows too tall. Diet The seven-spotted ladybird feeds on a range of aphid species. This is why they are often referred to as a gardener's best friend as they eat these creatures who can damage plants. They can also eat white flies and anything else that is soft-bo...
Post a Comment
Read more

02.08.2020 Animal of the week: Owl

By
Hi everyone, This week's blog post is all about owls. Habitat There are many different types of owl: barn owls, long-eared owls, snowy owls and lots more. Different species live in different places. Here are a few examples. Snowy owls live in the Arctic . Great grey owls live in pine forests. Elf owls live in deserts. There are about 130 different species of owl. Owls can be found everywhere in the world apart from Antarctica . Owls live in trees, holes in the ground, barns and caves. Most owls do not migrate in winter. Diet Owls eat insects, spiders, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and small mammals. What they eat the most depends on the type of owl and where it lives. Screech owls feed mostly on insects. Barn owls mainly eat mice, shrews and voles. Eagle owls eat hares and young foxes. Some owls can even fish like the Asian Fish Owl. Even though some species prefer a certain type of food, most owls will eat whatever they can find...
Post a Comment
Read more