Coal is the Opposite of Clean.
Yes, coal may produce a lot of electricity and heat that can be useful in modern day homes, but just think about its real effects on the environment.
Coal uses combustion to produce energy. This means that coal is burned to produce energy. This can cause a lot of harmful gasses to be released into the air. Carbon dioxide is the main gas that coal produces when it is burned. Therefore, coal has a giant carbon footprint because it is widely used by the world in most States. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and even mercury are also contained within coal and can be released also. Coal's greenhouse gas emissions defy cost effective efforts to contain these emissions.
Clean coal is also very costly. Mountaintop removal, fly-ash storage, and coal transportation are incredibly expensive. The DOE announced a $408 million stimulus money to get clean coal going. However, the technology to create clean coal is years away.
Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club are strongly opposed to the funding of clean coal.
Yes, coal may produce a lot of electricity and heat that can be useful in modern day homes, but just think about its real effects on the environment.
Coal uses combustion to produce energy. This means that coal is burned to produce energy. This can cause a lot of harmful gasses to be released into the air. Carbon dioxide is the main gas that coal produces when it is burned. Therefore, coal has a giant carbon footprint because it is widely used by the world in most States. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and even mercury are also contained within coal and can be released also. Coal's greenhouse gas emissions defy cost effective efforts to contain these emissions.
Clean coal is also very costly. Mountaintop removal, fly-ash storage, and coal transportation are incredibly expensive. The DOE announced a $408 million stimulus money to get clean coal going. However, the technology to create clean coal is years away.
Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club are strongly opposed to the funding of clean coal.