Bronte Wells
Coal is a fossil fuel with a high carbon content. It is abundant and relatively inexpensive to produce and convert to energy. However, coal is the most polluting way to produce electricity. The production and use of coal have severe environmental and public health consequences. The burning of coal releases massive amounts of pollution, contributing to climate change and degrading air quality. Coal mining also harms lands, waters, and wildlife, leaving behind devastated landscapes and polluted waterways. Coal-related deaths are recorded annually, with air pollution from coal-fired power stations contributing to leading causes of mortality such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory diseases.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse gas emissions | Coal contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, adding to climate change |
| Air pollution | Coal releases airborne toxins and pollutants, including mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals |
| Water pollution | Coal mining pollutes waterways through acid mine drainage and the release of selenium, heavy metals, and other toxins |
| Land degradation | Coal mining involves removing layers of soil and rock, clearing forests, and stripping away the earth, leaving behind degraded land incapable of supporting wildlife |
| Health impacts | Coal pollution is linked to asthma, cancer, heart and lung disease, neurological problems, and premature death |
| Global warming | Coal is a carbon-heavy fossil fuel that, when burned, releases carbon dioxide, a major driver of global warming and climate change |
| Environmental impacts | Coal mining and burning contribute to extreme weather, drought, sea level rise, flooding, and species loss |
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What You'll Learn
Coal mining's environmental impact
Coal mining has several negative environmental impacts, ranging from the degradation of land to air pollution and climate change.
Surface mining, which accounts for about 63% of coal mining in the United States, involves removing the soil and rock above coal deposits, often through explosives. This process can lead to the destruction of landscapes and the covering of streams with rock and dirt, harming aquatic wildlife downstream. Mountaintop removal, a form of surface mining, has significantly impacted the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and Kentucky, removing mountain tops and changing the landscape.
Additionally, coal mining contributes to air pollution and climate change. When coal is burned, it releases massive amounts of pollution, including greenhouse gases, toxic substances, and carcinogens, which severely affect the health of miners, workers, and nearby communities. In the United States, coal-related air pollution contributes to heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases, causing approximately 50,000 deaths annually. Coal-fired power plants emit sulfur dioxide, a major cause of acid rain, and mercury, along with large amounts of carbon dioxide, exacerbating global warming.
The extraction process also harms lands, waters, and wildlife. Excessive logging during mining destroys wildlife habitats, accelerates erosion, and leads to the loss of vegetation that anchors the soil. This results in increased precipitation runoff, carrying away topsoil into nearby waterways and disrupting aquatic habitats. Selenium pollution in water from coal mining has been linked to the decline in sensitive fish populations and deformities in fish and birds.
To address these environmental concerns, various measures have been implemented. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act in the United States require industries to reduce pollutants released into the air and water. Technologies such as scrubbers (flue gas desulfurization equipment) are used to remove sulfur and other impurities from coal and power plant emissions. Research is also underway to reduce mercury emissions and capture carbon dioxide through methods like carbon capture and sequestration.
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Air pollution and climate change
Coal is an abundant and inexpensive fuel source that has long been a reliable source of energy in the US. However, it is also the most polluting way to produce electricity. The process of extracting and burning coal releases massive amounts of pollution, severely affecting the health of miners, workers, and surrounding communities, as well as contributing to intensifying climate change.
When coal is burned, it releases a host of harmful pollutants, including carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, as well as methane. These pollutants have been linked to a range of health problems, including asthma, heart and lung disease, respiratory illnesses, neurological problems, and cancer. In the US alone, there are 50,000 coal-related deaths recorded each year, with air pollution from coal-fired power stations contributing to four of the five leading causes of mortality. Worldwide, exposure to air pollution from coal resulted in 4.2 million deaths in 2020.
The release of CO2, a greenhouse gas, is of particular concern due to its contribution to global warming and climate change. In 2022, coal-fired power plants in the US emitted about 19% of total energy-related CO2 emissions and about 55% of total CO2 emissions from the electric power sector. CO2 acts like a blanket when released into the atmosphere, warming the Earth beyond normal limits and leading to consequences such as drought, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather, and species loss.
Other environmental impacts of coal include the contamination of water sources and the alteration of landscapes through mountaintop removal and valley fill mining, which can harm aquatic wildlife downstream. Additionally, coal ash produced by power plants can end up in ponds, lakes, and landfills, further contaminating waterways and drinking water supplies.
To mitigate the harmful effects of coal, various measures have been implemented. Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) aim to capture CO2 before it is released, allowing for its storage in geological repositories. While this technology is promising, it is still expensive and unproven at the scale needed to address climate change significantly. Recycling and reusing waste produced from burning coal, as well as implementing pollution controls and scrubbers to reduce emissions, are other strategies being employed. However, many plants still lack adequate pollution control measures, and the future of these protections remains uncertain.
Transitioning to clean energy technologies, such as wind and solar power, is essential to reducing the detrimental impacts of coal on the environment and human health. While challenges remain, investments in clean energy are outpacing those in fossil fuels, indicating a global shift towards more sustainable energy sources.
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Water pollution
Coal mining and coal-fired power plants have a significantly negative impact on water quality, causing widespread water pollution. The process of mining coal can contaminate nearby water sources in multiple ways. One such method is through acid mine drainage, where coal mines expose certain substances (such as iron sulfide) to air and water, creating highly acidic water that contains heavy metals. This water can then leak into nearby rivers and lakes, changing their pH levels and rendering them toxic. This is a particular issue in Central Appalachia, where the process of mountain-top removal is used to access coal seams. This involves removing vegetation and forests, before using explosives to blast away the tops of mountains. The debris from this process is often dumped into valleys, which can bury and contaminate nearby water sources.
After coal is mined, it is washed with water and chemicals to remove impurities. The resulting coal slurry must then be stored, often in ponds that can leak or fail. In 2000, a coal slurry impoundment in Kentucky leaked, contaminating rivers and streams with 300 million gallons of sludge.
The burning of coal also contributes to water pollution. Coal-fired power plants produce millions of tons of coal ash each year, a toxic byproduct that often contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. This waste is stored in coal ash ponds, which can poison freshwater sources if they flood or leak. These ponds are often placed in low-income communities and communities of colour. When coal plants pump water directly from a water source to cool their systems, they can also create "thermal pollution". This increases the temperature of the water, which can decrease fertility and increase heart rates in fish.
Overall, coal mining and coal-fired power plants have a significant impact on water pollution, contaminating water sources with toxic chemicals and heavy metals. These practices pose risks to both the environment and human health, with research showing exposure to these pollutants can lead to birth defects, cancer, and even death.
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Health impacts
Coal is a fossil fuel and non-renewable energy source that is combusted to generate electricity. Coal-fired power plants release large quantities of particles as aerosols in the atmosphere, which have a detrimental impact on human health.
The inhalation of hazardous substances such as coal micro-particles, nanoparticles, and its by-products constitutes an invisible risk to human health. The continuous inhalation of these hazardous substances triggers many diseases, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, systemic inflammation, and neurodegeneration. In addition, coal releases toxic and carcinogenic substances into our air, water, and land, severely affecting the health of miners, workers, and surrounding communities. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the primary greenhouse gas produced from burning fossil fuels, as well as mercury and other heavy metals, which have been linked to neurological and developmental damage in humans and other animals.
In the United States, 50,000 coal-related deaths are recorded each year, with air pollution from coal-fired power plants contributing to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the US: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases. Similarly, in China, 366,000 deaths were attributed to coal in 2013, and in India, coal kills about 169,000 people annually. In Australia, coal's health impacts cost taxpayers an estimated $2.4 billion every year, causing health issues such as higher rates of childhood asthma, heart and lung disease, and some cancers. Over two million Australians are exposed to toxic pollutants from coal-fired power stations.
Coal mining also has significant health impacts. 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 the tops of mountains with explosives, changing the landscape. Streams are sometimes covered with rock and dirt, and the water draining from these filled valleys may contain pollutants that can harm aquatic wildlife and people downstream.
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Greenhouse gas emissions
CO2 emissions from coal combustion increased by 8% in 2022 relative to 2020, driven by the rebound in economic activity after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is important to note that CO2 emissions from coal consumption decreased by 6% from 2021 to 2022, primarily in the electric power sector. This decrease can be attributed to the transition to natural gas and the increasing adoption of clean energy technologies.
Coal-burning power plants emit other harmful substances in addition to CO2, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and mercury. These pollutants contribute to acid rain, smog, respiratory illnesses, and lung disease. Additionally, the mining and extraction of coal can alter landscapes, and the waste produced can contaminate groundwater and harm aquatic wildlife downstream.
To mitigate the environmental impact of coal, various methods have been proposed and implemented. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology separates CO2 from other gases in exhaust streams, compresses it, and injects it into deep geological formations for permanent storage. While this technology has not yet been deployed at a commercial scale in coal-fueled power plants due to high costs and the absence of supportive government policies, it has the potential to address the threat of climate change while allowing the continued use of coal.
Other methods to reduce the environmental impact of coal include the development of technologies to remove impurities from coal, increasing energy efficiency, and reusing and recycling waste produced from burning coal. Additionally, the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act in the United States require industries to reduce pollutants released into the air and water, leading to the implementation of flue gas desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) to clean sulfur from smoke before it leaves smokestacks.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, coal is always polluting, and it is the most polluting way to produce electricity.
Coal releases massive amounts of pollution when it is burned in power stations. It emits toxic and carcinogenic substances into the air, water, and land. Coal mining also harms the environment by degrading lands, waters, and wildlife.
Burning coal emits substances including mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and various other heavy metals.
Coal pollution is linked to asthma, cancer, heart and lung ailments, neurological problems, and premature death. In the United States, 50,000 coal-related deaths are recorded each year.
Scientists are working on new ways to reduce emissions from coal-burning power plants, such as carbon capture. Additionally, governments and industries are cooperating to develop technologies that can remove impurities from coal and make it more energy-efficient.
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