What are the disadvantages of coal as a natural resource?
What will be an ideal response?
Coal does not burn as cleanly as oil or natural gas and a good bit of it is rather high in sulfur. When it burns, it forms sulfur dioxide which combines with water to form sulfuric acid--the major source of acid rain. Further, soot from coal-fired plants allegedly claims 12,000 lives per year. Extraction of coal is most efficiently extracted by strip mining which deeply scars the land and can make it unusable for years. Mining coal by building tunnels presents a huge health and safety hazard for the miners. Lung disease is a slow death. In addition to the environmental problems, there is no technology yet that allows for using coal as a method of powering transportation. It can be used to generate electricity, but not transportation needs. Finally, there are logistical problems in using coal. It is difficult to transport and much of the available coal is located substantial distances from the points of principal energy demand.
You might also like to view...
People are leaving many rural areas, with the most relentless decline occurring in a broad swath stretching northward from west Texas through North Dakota
a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false
In a jury trial
a. the judge is in charge of decision-making functions. b. the jury is in charge of decision-making functions. c. the judge and jury share decision-making functions. d. decisions were made at the lower court, so neither the judge nor the jury has decision-making functions.
Proponents of positive peace call for which of the following?
A. emphasis on war as a method of state expansion B. the deconstruction of a global identity transcending national, ethnic, and religious divisions C. the strengthening of norms against the use of violence D. the elimination of armed forces
Which of the following types of states are the United Kingdom and France most likely to provide with development aid?
a. wealthy allies b. communist countries c. former colonies d. adversarial powers