Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas that is steadily contributing to global warming. And of all the fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), coal is the one that produces most carbon dioxide when it is burned. As a result, the activity of mining and burning coal contributes to global warming more than anything else.
Coal is plentiful and cheap to mine and burns easily to produce electricity, so it is difficult for governments to legislate to close down coal mines. This is why it is so important to continue research and development in the areas of renewable energy like solar, wind and water power.
Locally, the coal industry is the biggest around. Kentucky is known for many things ranging from Bourbon to Horse Racing, but one thing always constant is the amount of mining done in the bluegrass state. Each year, we mine over hundreds of millions of tons of coal used for electricity as well as supplying the state with over 80,000 jobs annually. Although, this huge number probably seems like an even bigger problem, Kentucky is actually very environmental friendly with hundreds of millions of dollars spent towards restoration of coal mining areas. This industry has also proven to be the general overall success of the state as a whole, as it is a high reward industry for owners, which leads them to paying workers well, and in turn benefiting the entire local economy. If it wasn’t for coal this state would be nothing, but tobacco farmers and Derby jockeys.
Below is an analysis done on the idea of coal mining, describing it’s affects on global warming as well as comparing the Mountain Top Removal Method to the Traditional way of mining through mountains.
In the pie chart, one can see how much coal affects global warming, yielding an even higher percent than any other source.
Because Coal Mining negatively contributes to our atmosphere so badly, people often are in opposition to mining. I was in fact against mining as well, until I realized how much we actually do. It is hard to say that we could put an end to the coal mining industry as a whole, but there are definitely ways in which we can go about preserving our energy. One thing we can do as human beings, is be conscious of all the electricity we waste in a day. For example, as I sit in one of the country’s largest libraries i wonder how much electricity this one building is wasting in just an hour, not even a day. Open 24 hours a day, every single light is on all the time. Whether the library is filled with students, or empty at 3 A.M. there is always a mass amount of electricity going to waste. If we could all do something to limit this worldly problem of over consuming then we would be headed down a brighter path to the future of our atmosphere.
In this youtube episode Dr. Portlock looks at “old king coal,” the dirtiest of of fossil fuels and the source of energy for most of the world. Portlock offers a call to action to Americans proposing ideas such as including finding local sources of energy which will be the key to the future of energy.
Related articles
- Clean energy progress too slow to limit global warming: report (reuters.com)
- Enviro: EPA planning ‘mother of all clean air regulations’; Would shut down new and existing coal plants to cut emissions (junkscience.com)
- New emissions standards would fuel shift from coal to natural gas (esciencenews.com)
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