Part one
Cola has been responsible for powering most of the recent industrialization in recent human history. Until recently, coal was perceived as the main source of energy/ electricity to run industries at national and international level[1]. Coal is classified into four main categories based on heat and carbon content: anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite. The general rule of coal is that the more it is of higher quality, the cleaner it burns, and more it is used. There are two methods, which are used to extract coal- surface and underground mining. The choice of method to extract coal depends on the geological characteristics of the coal deposits. Underground mining is the common approach used to extract coal from the surface. The coal in raw form is burnt at the industrial level to produce electricity. To convert thermal coal, it is first converted into fine powder to reduce its surface area and enable it to burn faster.
The heat and hot gases generated during the combustion process converts water into steam, which rotates turbines, despite the fundamental role of coal as a key energy producer in the last few centuries. Coal has been recognized as among the leading causes of greenhouse emissions in the current society. Its contribution has intensified adviser climatic changes, which are linked to the greenhouse effect. Essentially, when coal is burnt, it researches CO2 into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is produced when coal reacts with oxygen when it is burnt. The produced carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, where it acts as an “atmospheric blanket,” hence increasing heat, which warms the globe.
The importance of coal
The rise of coal mirrors the rise of industries in recent human history. Most of the industrialization activities predominately relied on coal to produce energy. Thus, power generation is the most important aspect of coal in the market. Globally, thirty-six percent of the power required by industries comes from coal. In the United States, coal account for about twenty percent of all electricity production. It is important to note that the reduction of coal as a source of electricity has dwindled in recent years due to its contribution to greenhouse gases[2].
Nevertheless, some studies cite that half of the electricity used in the United States is produced from coal. Furthermore, coal produces energy that is stable and reliable compared to most green energy. Its reliability means that businesses in every sector can function effectively without any form of interruption. In essence, coal acts as the backbone of the consumer market by producing the required energy necessary for the functionality of the markets.
Moreover, at a macro level, coal does not impact transportation directly. However, it is estimated that fifty percent of high-intensive companies such as manufacturing plants use coal to produce raw metal such as steel with additional materials like lime and types of cement. This means that coal plays a vital role in producing energy-intensive materials, which are critical in the construction of transport infrastructures such as roads, tunnels, railroads, and bridges. A majority of infrastructural materials required to construct important infrastructure in a given economy are produced using coal. More so, using alternative energy in high intensive industrial sectors hinder production capacity while increasing the overall cost of materials. Thus, at a micro and macroeconomic level, coal is significant in determining the economic well-being of society through managing the cost of materials used in large infrastructures.
Coal issues
When coal is burnt, it produces or emits several harmful gases like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, trace metals, and particulates[3]. Cola contains an estimated three percent of sulfur material by dry weight. When heated, the sulfur is produced as harmful gas to the surface, and the produced sulfur is responsible for respiratory diseases and acid rain, which is toxic to the environment. Coherently, carbon dioxide is produced as a harmful emission to the environment. CO2 is the common toxic as produced by coal when burnt. Coal accounts for about twenty-six percent of all harmful greenhouse gas.
Furthermore, when coal is burnt, especially on an industrial scale, it releases tiny specs of dust and ash called particulate matter. The black particulates are responsible for increasing global temperatures that cause environmental and climatic problems. In addition, coal combustion culminates in the emission of trace metal, which constitutes elements such as selenium, arsenic, and mercury. The trace metals are typically linked to the environmental degradation of water bodies, farmland, and aquatic life.
Despite the growing resentment on the utilization of coal as a source of energy in the current society. Proponents argue that there is no sustainable alternative to replace coal. The eradication of coal as the main source of electricity may hamper economic activities in the long run. First, the cost of electricity is likely to increase because coal is currently the cheapest source of energy. This is because the adoption of alternative green energy would mean manufacturers and businesses will have to increase the cost of goods and services sold. Furthermore, the success of any economy largely depends on the constant availability of energy or electricity. Today, coal is still perceived as the most affordable and reliable energy source; thus, its absence could have negative implications on economic activities such as businesses experiencing interrupted power supply, among other issues.
Part two
Alternative energy
In recent years, there has been an urgency to replace coal and other fossil fuel as the dominant forms of energy production. Numerous studies have demonstrated the negative implications of coal on the climate and the environment. Therefore, there are various potential renewable alternatives, which have been proposed as the replacement for coal. Wind and solar power have been considered as among the most suitable alternative for coal. This is attributed to a number of factors such as costs, availability, and impact on the environment. Unlike coal, solar can produce zero greenhouse gas emissions while producing similar energy or electricity required within an economy. Nevertheless, wind and solar power have minimal implications on the environment and climatic conditions. Recent studies have shown that harnessing energy from wind is among the most sustainable and cleanest methods to generate electricity because there are no greenhouse emissions of toxic pollutants.
The trade-offs
However, there are trade-offs between different energy systems. For instance, regarding coal and wind energy, the latter is more sustainable to the environment but is unreliable because it can be affected by changes in weather patterns. In contrast, coal produces an immense amount of energy consistently and reliably; however, it has a significant negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, the cost of producing electricity is minimal compared to wind, which requires the installation of large windmills that need continuous repairs and maintenance.
The lack of reliability of alternative or green energy is a key concern for many policymakers. The world requires a consistent and enormous amount of energy to ensure economies are operative at optimal capacity. The shift from coal to green or sustainable energy is likely to impact micro and economic activities significantly negatively. The Proponents of coal have argued that wind and solar power are expensive; therefore, they can increase the cost of production, which makes it not economically viable if adopted on a large scale.
Recommendation
There are no energy sources, which do not have some form of negative implication on the environment. Essentially, most of the sources of energy pose a significant challenge to the environment. To ensure a sense of balance, policies should be developed to facilitate the harmonization of different forms of energy as means to eliminate most of the limits associated with sources of energy. The proposed policies can be developed to facilitate further research on how coal or fossil fuel can be “cleaned” to produce clean energy. Such a move will be useful in ensuring that coal is used as a source of primary power for high-energy-intense sectors in a sustainable manner. This will eliminate the need to rely on alternative energy like wind and solar, which are unreliable. Nevertheless, firms producing green energy can be allocated subsidies to develop batteries that can store electricity for long-term use when their chances are in the weather patterns. This will eliminate the challenge associated with the reliability of alternative energy.
Bibliography
Edwards, Gareth AS. “Coal and climate change.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 10, no. 5 (2019): e607.
Milici, Robert C., Romeo M. Flores, and Gary D. Stricker. “Coal resources, reserves and peak coal production in the United States.” International Journal of Coal Geology 113 (2013): 109-115.
Romero, Carlos E., and Xingchao Wang. “Key technologies for ultra-low emissions from coal-fired power plants.” In Advances in Ultra-Low Emission Control Technologies for Coal-Fired Power Plants, pp. 39-79. Woodhead Publishing, 2019.
[1] Milici, Robert C., Romeo M. Flores, and Gary D. Stricker. “Coal resources, reserves and peak coal production in the United States.” International Journal of Coal Geology 113 (2013): 109-115.
[2] Edwards, Gareth AS. “Coal and climate change.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 10, no. 5 (2019): e607.
[3] Romero, Carlos E., and Xingchao Wang. “Key technologies for ultra-low emissions from coal-fired power plants.” In Advances in Ultra-Low Emission Control Technologies for Coal-Fired Power Plants, pp. 39-79. Woodhead Publishing, 2019.
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