Disadvantages Of Coal

Coal is one of the most important power resources that occur naturally. Its use in electricity generation can simply not be underappreciated, more so in countries where it occurs in abundance. It is cheaper than other alternative means of producing power, mostly because the resource itself is got from the earth. But usage of coal does have its disadvantages. Perhaps the most obvious one is with the emission of harmful pollutants which directly contribute to global warming. In fact, on the list of greenhouse gases produced, coal mining comes in at number two. Coal is made up of among other elements, sulfur and nitrogen. These are released into the atmosphere when coal is combusted, and their effects are highly undesirable. There have been attempts to clean coal, and reduce the aforesaid emissions, but total eradication of the harmful pollutants has not been achieved. Besides, doing this is highly expensive, which is another disadvantage altogether.

A lot of coal is needed to generate power, which means a lot of it has to be mind from the earth. In great magnitudes, coal mining leaves scars on the earth’s surface. The depressions left behind cannot be covered, and the overall outlook of the landscape is less than pleasing. Equipment used in mining is big and heavy, which represents a big problem altogether. In addition the equipment is very noisy, which makes living anywhere near the coal power plants very unpleasant. Coal transportation is also difficult, because an extensive system is needed.

Coal is used in power generation, and that sums up the list of what coal can be used for. Because of technological advancements, it cannot be used for anything else in these modern times. It was once used in the automotive industry, but decades have passed since then, and it is unlikely that that will happen again. Mining coal brings pulmonary problems to miners. Coal dust is harmful, especially to the respiratory tract. Though protective gear is worn to prevent any inhalation, it is still not possible to achieve this to totality.

These only mark some of the disadvantages of using coal as a power source. In a perfect world, coal would be used to generate electricity, but without doing harm to the environment or to the people living in it. And with that goal in mind, there are measures being put into place to ensure that the disadvantages of coal do not overweigh the advantages.

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