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Negative and positive impacts of coal mining
Negative and positive impacts of coal mining
Negative and positive impacts of coal mining
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INTRODUCTION This paper was designed to look more in detail at the power industry and the environment. The topics in this paper include: coal and its impact on the environment, natural gas and its impact on the environment, and basic economics. Specifically, this paper seeks answers to the following questions: • What is coal? • What are the environmental impacts of coal? • What is shale natural gas? • What are the environmental impacts of natural gas? • How does coal vs natural gas stack up???? Or why is nat gas better? ? • How does the price of natural gas promote its economic viability to the United States and the Gulf Coast region?also something about building plants is cheaper now BACKGROUND DISCUSSION: WHAT IS COAL? Coal is defined …show more content…
However, the presence of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides (the precursor to sulfuric and nitric acid), as well as chlorides and fluorides (the precursors to hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids), can lead to rainfall with a pH lower than 5.0 (Spath 1999 p. 83) Few plants can tolerate acidic soils, as most plants prefer an alkaline-based environment. Acid rain can cause pronounced effects as it leaches into soil. The acidity of the soil may inhibit seed germination and seedling growth (spath 1999 p.83). As the pH level falls below 3.5, the leaves of plants may be damaged. Another ecological concern when acid rain becomes an issue are lakes, rivers, and aquatic life. The lower the pH level becomes, the greater losses of aquatic life. According to Spath (1999): "At a pH less than 4, lakes become suitable habitats for white moss. This moss forms a thick covering on the lake bottom preventing nutrient exchange between the water and lake sediments (p. 83)." At a pH of 5.4, all fish typically stop reproducing. Lakes with a pH lower than 5 commonly do not contain any fish. Solid Waste
The result is an acidity level that's harmful to fish, wildlife, plants, and trees. Already, 1,200 lakes in the U.S. have been completely acidified so the lake water is unfit for human use and little or nothing can live in it.Such is the case in the Adirondacks, which are a group of mountains surrounded by many lakes and rivers. They cover over 5,000 square miles in the northeastern part of New York state. It's an area where large resort villages are around the Saranac river and Lake George.
Pennsylvania, along with being rich in coal, is now receiving kudos for its participation in the production of natural gas. An article composed by Madelon...
Acid rain has been proven to have damage forests, fresh waters and soils, killing insect and aquatic life-forms. It also causes damage to buildings and impacts on human health. Many people do not know what acid rain actually is. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, low pH levels, higher than normal amounts of sulfuric and nitric acid, occurs naturally and from man made sources. Forms when gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals (what is acid rain?). The only water that will not have some amount of acidity is pure water. Pure water has a pH of 7 which is neutral; regular, unpolluted rain water has a pH of around 5.6. The acidity in rain water comes from the presence of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and Sulfur Dioxide. CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic acid. Nitrogen and water react during lightning storms, forming Nitric Oxide. NO is then oxidized to form N02. The NO2 reacts with water to form nitric acid. Due to this, the pH is lowered to be slightly acidic (Acid Rain). Acid rain can occur naturally in the environment, but the problem occurs when human interaction is the cause of the acidic levels.
Acid rain affects many different things and is very harmful to the environment. One aspect of the environment that is greatly affected by acid rain is soil. Acidic rain makes its way into the soil by rain falling off the branches and leaves to the soil below. Water runs through the soil on its way to different bodies of water. A process called buffering is used to neutralize acids using the base nutrients (including calcium and magnesium) found in soil (Tyson, 1992). This process helps soil resist the effects of acid rain.
Some kinds can accept acidic waters more than others. polluting of the environment impacts many species ultimately impacts additional through the entire organic phenomenon combined with non-aquatic kinds like parrots. The penalties of smog, combined together with different ecological stressors, depart trees in addition to plants unripe to be able to confront to be able to cold conditions, insects, in addition to illness. The pollutants could on top of that inhibit trees ability to breed. Some soil square gauge higher capable of neutralize acids than others. In areas the spot that the soil streaming capability will be low, this harmful outcomes of smog square gauge plenty added.
Acid rain can effect trees in several different ways. It can dissolve and wash away the minerals and nutrients in the soil. These factors in the soil help the trees to grow and is very important. Acid rain also cause the release of dangerous substances such as aluminum into the soil. Photosynthesis is also affected because of the waxy protective layer of the leaves being harmed. A combination of these effects weakens the trees which means that they can be more easily attacked by diseases and insects or injured by bad weather. It is not just trees that are affected by acid rain, other plants may also suffer.
Currently, the most important factor in the rise of gas prices is the increasing cost of crude oil. Unfortunately, the United States has three percent of the world’s oil reserves. (Horsley) In 2009, the United States was third in crude oil production as well as the world’s largest petroleum consumer. (e. I. Administration) Such consumption required and still requires the United States to import petroleum/crude oil from other countries.
It ranges from zero to fourteen with seven being neutral. Anything less than seven is considered acidic and anything greater is considered basic. A river can become acidic through acid rain or certain pollutants. A non toxic stream is supposed to be around a pH of seven, and anything too far away could harm aquatic life and drinking water quality. Changing the pH of the water affects the solubility of nutrients and heavy metals in the water that aquatic life needs to survive. Dissolved oxygen is how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. Life in the rivers and streams breath this oxygen in order to survive. If the dissolved oxygen were to drop too low, the life in those waters would begin to die off. The oxygen enters the stream mostly from the atmosphere. When eutrophication occurs, it can cause an oxygen deficiency in the water. Eutrophication is a significant increase in plant life in a river which can kill off much of the aquatic life due to lack of dissolved oxygen. An ideal level of dissolved oxygen is five to six parts per million(ppm). Aquatic life will have difficulty with anything below three ppm. The level of nitrates in the water can affect the plant’s life directly and the aquatic life
In this assignment the topics comprise of Fracking and Stakeholders involvement, Supply and Demand and how that is effected through increase in energy prices. Also a detailed depiction of Carroll’s Model and how energy companies utilize this. As a final point a detailed reflective statement is needed, and the focus is how government involvement impacts on the supply and price of energy to businesses.
Coal companies have been destroying our mountains, polluting our water, and poisoning our communities for far too long.
The electricity sector in developing countries is increasing rapidly, however, there are a number of externalities linked with energy generation and the price of energy does not reflect all the associated costs. These externalities include effects on human health, the environment, climate, subsidies, agriculture as well as reactor accidents and economic effects (Bernal-Agustin & Dufo-Lopez, 2006) (Friedrich & Voss, 1993) (Edkins, Winkler, Marquard, & Spalding-Fecher, 2010). In the uncontrolled market, there is a inclination to produce more energy and produce a larger waste fuel supply than is socially optimal (Aronsson, Backlund, & Lofgren, 1998) therefore economic instruments are necessary to internalize the cost of externalities for optimal pollution.
We near the year 2020, and sustainable energy is a pressing concern. On the political front, Hilary Clinton’s clean energy plan will be shutting down many coal power plants. However, if we stop using coal power plants we have many power options we need to select from; Such as solar, wind, water, or nuclear. It’s not clear which power option is best suited to replace the coal generation in place. Coal is a very cheap power option.
The coast of coal is quite reasonably less than that of clean energy sources. The reason that so many people are proposing for more coal plants, is because they cost an average of 1 million less than if we went in the direction of clean energy. Coal is making its comeback now because of the raising prices of other fuels and the want for adorable electricity. Coal helps keep electricity prices low, but also boosts security by offering and alternative to foreign fuel. This low cost energy doesn’t come without a larger price, of our environment’s wellbeing.
Since the United States relies on fossil fuels as an energy source, it is at a high demand. Today, the price of fossil fuel is high and it will continue to grow as long as there is still a large demand for it. Businesses and all other consumers in America are spending between seven-hundred billion and one trillion every year on coal, oil and natural gas. If America chooses to continue using fossil fuel as an energy source, the United States will most likely spend about twenty-three trillion dollars on fuel between 2010 and 2030. In 2006 alone, American businesses and consumers spent over nine-hundred billion dollars on fossil fuel, which was more than the amount that was spent on education and the military. In Washington, D.C. and in many other states, the government has made policies to encourage the use of alternative energy sources in order to increase the use of solar and wind power, and rid the Earth from greenhouse gasses. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, switching to an alternative energy source could cut global warming emissions along with providing savings for consumers and businesses at over four-hundred billion every year by 2030 (Environment America, 2009). For example, wind energy can be great for the economy because the free winds make the cost of production very low after wind turbines are created. Fast creation and technological advances have also made turbines cheaper, and many governments offer tax incentives to encourage the production of more wind energy (National Geographic,
If there is not enough oxygen in the water, it may lead to the death of many organisms, reduction in their growth or even failure to survive. The pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline the water. It is defined as the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration. According to Fondriest Environmental Inc, a well-known Fundamental Environmental organization, the pH scale goes from 0 to 14. As the scale of pH decreases, water becomes more acidic. Many chemical reactions inside aquatic organisms are necessary for survival and growth of organisms. At the extreme ends of the pH scale, (2 or 13) physical damage to gills, exoskeleton, fins, occurs. Changes in pH may alter the concentrations of other substances in water to a more toxic form. Examples: a decrease in pH (below 6) may increase the amount of mercury soluble in water. An increase in pH (above 8.5) enhances the conversion of nontoxic ammonia (ammonium ion) to a toxic form of ammonia (un-ionized ammonia). (Fondriest,