Helena Joyce
Coal is a carbon-rich black rock formed over thousands of years by heat and pressure underground. When burned, it releases energy due to the breakdown of carbon molecules. However, this process also releases harmful environmental pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, mercury, and other heavy metals, which have been linked to neurological issues and developmental damage in humans and animals. Coal is the most polluting way to produce electricity, and the health impacts of coal pollution are significant, including asthma, cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. In the US, 50,000 coal-related deaths are recorded annually, and a study found that between 1999 and 2020, 460,000 deaths were attributable to fine particulate air pollutants emitted by coal-fired power plants. While regulations and coal power plant retirements have led to a decline in coal-related deaths, the question remains: how much coal pollution is too much?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Air pollutants | Carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury and other heavy metals, fly ash, bottom ash, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), soot, lead, cadmium, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), arsenic, nitrogen oxides |
| Health impacts | Asthma, cancer, heart and lung disease, neurological problems, premature death |
| Environmental impacts | Global warming, climate change, groundwater contamination, acid rain, droughts, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather, species loss |
| Social impacts | In Australia, coal's health impacts cost taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion every year |
| Mitigation strategies | Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS), scrubbers, flue gas desulfurization equipment, land reclamation, waste recycling |
| Regulatory frameworks | Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
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What You'll Learn
Coal is the most polluting electricity source
Coal is a carbon-rich black rock formed deep underground over thousands of years due to heat and pressure. It releases energy when burned. Coal supplies over one-third of the world's electricity generation and is crucial to industries such as iron and steel. However, it is the most polluting source of electricity.
Coal mining and power plants have a significant impact on lakes, rivers, streams, and drinking water supplies. For instance, mountaintop removal and valley-fill mining have affected large areas of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and Kentucky. This type of coal extraction involves removing mountain tops with explosives, changing the landscape, and covering streams with rock and dirt. The water draining from these filled valleys may contain pollutants that can harm aquatic life downstream. Additionally, coal-fired power plants produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash annually, with over half of that waste ending up in water bodies and landfills. Over time, this ash contaminates waterways and drinking water sources.
Coal-burning power plants emit toxic and carcinogenic substances into the air, water, and land, severely affecting the health of miners, workers, and surrounding communities. In the United States, coal-fired power stations contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases. Air pollution from coal-fired power plants is associated with asthma, heart and lung ailments, neurological problems, acid rain, global warming, and other severe environmental and public health impacts.
Furthermore, burning coal releases carbon dioxide (CO2), a heat-trapping gas that contributes to climate change. In the United States, coal accounts for about one-quarter of all energy-related carbon emissions. In 2022, CO2 emissions from burning coal for energy accounted for about 19% of total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions and 55% of total CO2 emissions from the electric power sector.
While some countries are transitioning away from coal due to environmental and health concerns, others are increasing their coal-fired power generation, such as China, India, and some emerging economies. Overall, coal is the most polluting source of electricity, and efforts to reduce its use and transition to cleaner alternatives are crucial for improving public health and mitigating climate change.
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Coal pollution causes health issues and deaths
Coal is the most polluting way to generate electricity. It releases massive amounts of pollution, including greenhouse gases, toxic substances, and carcinogens, into the air, water, and land. This severely affects the health of miners, workers, and surrounding communities.
Coal-burning power plants are a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution. Exposure to PM2.5 is associated with an increased risk of death. Research has found that for every 1 μg/m3 increase in coal PM2.5, mortality increases by 1.12%. This is more than twice the risk associated with PM2.5 from other sources of air pollution. From 1999 to 2020, it is estimated that 460,000 deaths were attributable to coal PM2.5, with most of these deaths occurring between 1999 and 2007 when coal PM2.5 levels were at their highest.
In the United States alone, 50,000 coal-related deaths are recorded each year, with air pollution from coal-fired power stations contributing to four of the five leading causes of mortality: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases. In China and India, coal-related deaths are also significant, with 366,000 and 169,000 deaths attributed to coal annually, respectively.
The health impacts of coal are also evident in Australia, where coal pollution costs taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion annually. Coal pollution has been linked to higher rates of childhood asthma, heart and lung disease, and certain types of cancer in the country. Additionally, Australia has seen a resurgence of coal dust diseases, including the life-threatening "black lung" (coal workers' pneumoconiosis), with 35 confirmed cases since 2015.
While regulations and the retirement of coal power plants have helped reduce coal-related deaths, continued efforts to decrease coal emissions are crucial for improving public health.
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Coal mining changes the landscape
Coal is an abundant and inexpensive fuel source, but its production and use have significant environmental impacts. Coal mining, in particular, can alter the landscape in several ways.
Surface mines, or strip mines, are a common method of coal extraction, accounting for about 63% of coal mined in the United States in 2022. This method involves removing the soil and rock above coal seams, which can change the topography of an area. In the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky, mountaintop removal and valley fill mining have been practised since the 1970s, but their use became more widespread and controversial in the 1990s. This technique involves removing mountain tops with explosives, filling valleys with rock and dirt, and altering water drainage. The water draining from these filled valleys may contain pollutants that harm aquatic life downstream.
Underground mines generally have less impact on the landscape than surface mines, but they are not without their challenges. The ground above mine tunnels can collapse, and abandoned mines can release acidic water and methane gas, which is explosive and contributes to air pollution.
Coal mining can also disturb soil structure, change soil chemical and physical properties, accelerate soil water erosion, reduce soil microbial activity, and limit vegetation growth. In the Yangquan Mining Area in China, for example, vegetation fractional coverage has been used to study the ecological environment quality in the mining area, with anthropogenic factors influencing vegetation cover.
Reclamation and restoration efforts are important components of addressing landscape changes due to coal mining. U.S. laws require that dust and water runoff from coal mining operations be controlled, and the affected areas must be reclaimed and returned to their original condition. Additionally, clean processes and remediation measures can address environmental pollution, while restoration measures can handle landscape changes.
While coal mining has altered landscapes, there are ongoing efforts to minimise these impacts and restore affected areas.
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Coal ash contaminates water supplies
Coal is the most polluting way to produce electricity. When burned in power stations, coal releases massive amounts of pollution, damaging our health and contributing to intensifying climate change. Coal-burning power plants are a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, which is associated with an increased risk of death. Research has found that for every 1 μg/m3 increase in coal PM2.5, mortality increases by 1.12%.
Coal ash is what is left behind when power plants burn coal for energy. It is a toxic mix of carcinogens, neurotoxins, and other hazardous pollutants. In the United States, coal ash sites at more than 90% of the 292 power plants that fall under the rule and have reported groundwater data are leaking contaminants into groundwater, threatening drinking water for millions. The Clean Water Act requires industries to reduce pollutants released into the water, but only a few of the nearly 300 U.S. power plants storing toxic ash have started cleanups or have plans to do so.
The most widespread known drinking water contamination occurred in the Town of Pines, Indiana, from a leaking landfill and coal ash used as "fill" throughout the town. As a result, the U.S. EPA declared the Town of Pines a Superfund site in 2001, and the utility responsible eventually provided municipal water to most residents and removed coal ash and contaminated soil from the town.
Coal ash ponds, landfills, and "beneficial use" have also been found to contaminate residential drinking water wells. Private wells have also been contaminated by coal ash, and contamination may go undetected for years as most coal ash pollutants have no telltale taste or color. Determining the quality of drinking water in nearby communities is difficult due to the lack of data.
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Carbon capture and storage technologies can reduce CO2 emissions
Coal is an abundant and inexpensive fuel source. However, it is the most polluting way to produce electricity. The extraction and burning of coal release massive amounts of pollution, damaging human health and contributing to intensifying climate change. Coal is responsible for the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary greenhouse gas, as well as mercury, heavy metals, fly ash, and bottom ash. These pollutants have been linked to neurological and developmental damage, and the contamination of groundwater.
To address the environmental and health impacts of coal, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have emerged as a promising solution. CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide at emission sources, such as power stations, and then transporting and storing it underground. This process can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and play a crucial role in tackling global warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), deploying technologies like CCS to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is essential to achieving the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and limiting future temperature increases to 1.5°C.
CCS has been safely utilised for over 45 years, and its potential for mitigating emissions is substantial. By the end of 2022, there were 194 large-scale CCS facilities globally, with 30 of these already in operation. CCS can be applied to power plants, natural gas processing facilities, and various industrial processes. For instance, in Norway, all the CO2 extracted from the Sleipner Field since 1996 has been stored underground to avoid paying a "carbon tax" on emissions.
While CCS deployment has lagged in the past, momentum has grown substantially in recent years. In 2023, the announced capture capacity for 2030 increased by 35%, with a total potential capture amount of around 435 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 per year. This progress is encouraging, but it still falls short of the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario, which aims for around 1 gigatonne (Gt) of CO2 capture and storage per year.
In addition to CCS, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) offers another approach. Instead of solely storing captured CO2, CCUS explores reusing it in industrial processes to create products like plastics, concrete, or biofuel. CCUS can be retrofitted to existing power and industrial plants, enabling their continued operation while reducing emissions. Governments can also play a pivotal role in accelerating CCUS adoption by incorporating it into national energy and climate strategies, establishing carbon pricing systems, and providing capital grants and loans.
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Frequently asked questions
Coal pollution refers to the release of massive amounts of pollution when coal is dug up and burned in power stations. This includes greenhouse gas pollution and toxic and carcinogenic substances that severely affect the health of miners, workers, and surrounding communities. Coal is also associated with water pollution, as coal-fired power plants produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash annually, which can contaminate waterways and drinking water supplies.
Coal pollution has been linked to various health problems, including asthma, cancer, heart and lung disease, neurological problems, and premature death. It is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, which has been associated with increased mortality. Research has estimated that between 1999 and 2020, 460,000 deaths were attributable to fine particulate air pollutants emitted by coal-fired power plants.
Several methods can be employed to reduce coal pollution:
- Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS): This approach captures CO2 from emissions sources and stores it underground, preventing its release into the atmosphere.
- Reusing and recycling waste: Waste produced from burning coal can be reused or recycled to reduce environmental impacts.
- Implementing pollution controls: Technologies such as flue gas desulfurization equipment ("scrubbers") can be used to remove impurities and reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and particulate matter.
- Transitioning to clean energy: Clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy sources are available as alternatives to coal, and investments in clean energy are increasingly outpacing those in fossil fuels.
