Electricity Produced by Coal Burning Assessment

Minnesota's combined direct and indirect contributions to the coal industry impacts the economy with more than $2 billion
Coal provides cheap power for Minnesota households, businesses and manufacturing
Minnesota ranks 20^th (nationwide) in coal use using more than 19 million tons
62% of the electricity used Minnesota is produced by coal
Minnesota has 13 coal-fired power plants
Minnesota power plants and rail yards provide well-paying jobs
Well paying jobs can be very dangerous
The piles of coal at the power plants are ugly to look at
Minnesota does not produce coal
Global warming can be caused by burning coal

Coal is one of our most abundant sources of energy
Coal is inexpensive when compared to other fuels
Electricity from coal is reliable
Coal can be stored easily and safely
Coal is versatile in use (barbecue grills/home fires)
Coal can be used to create energy very easily
Using coal decreases the dependence of oil, which alleviates the pressure of relying on nations with unstable political regimes
Coal can be found in lots of places and there is still a lot available in the UK
Coal can be easily transported all over the world and does not require extra security while transporting
Coal is cheap with predictions that its prices will decrease by 2 percent, while natural gas prices are predicted to increase up to 60 percent by 2030
Use of coal is not dependent on weather (unlike wind or solar power)
Global warming, which is believed to be caused by coal burning, means less energy needed to warm old places
Global warming could also mean fewer injuries or death caused by cold weather
Global warming could increase growing seasons, due to warmer weather, therefore they could produce more agricultural goods

To dig up coal, mines had to be created and they are dangerous
Transporting coal causes pollution
Coal miners can suffer from black lung disease or other health conditions if they breathe in too much coal dust
Burning coal pollutes the air with gases like sulphur dioxide which make acid rain
Burning coal releases green house gases
Coal is a non-renewable source and is predicted to run out in approximately 100 years
Economically there really are no disadvantages since it is inexpensive and creates jobs
Global warming may be caused by coal burning
Open pit coal mining leaves ugly scars on the earth surface
China and India are huge consumers of coal and they do nothing to clean their emissions
While coal is abundant today, it takes millions of years to create

If we burn less coal it will help keep our natural resources alive.
By burning too much coal it has caused the air and water to be polluted and it has brought green house gases into the air.
While coal burning causes global warming and global warming causes an increase in the spread of diseases. As the northern countries get warmer these countries have insects that are carrying viruses among them.
Strong shifts in precipitation patterns have been and will continue to be caused by global warming. Some areas of the world will become wetter while others, and others will become drier.
Global warming has caused an increase in the chance of life threatening storms.
If weather related disasters occur it causes a large impact on the economy and it may cause new or more diseases that are expensive to treat. Hurricane Katrina is an example that continues to impact the economy and its people.
Global warming changes deforestation. We are losing millions of acres of rain forests a year and precious wild life habitats.As global warming progresses our natural resources will be further depleted.
Natural resource depletion could cause changes in wild life, human population risks, disease, floods, drouts, unsustainable land, sea level changes and economic disaster.
Industry progression also risks depletion of our natural environment. We will need to strike a balance between technology and protecting our environment.

It is widely believed that coal burning is dirty and bad for the environment and is the primary cause of global warming.
President Obama wants us to become less dependent on non-renewable resources and to look for other energy sources like wind and solar
Coal is so readily available that most households and businesses do not feel the need to conserve electricity. If we had to rely on expensive oil or wind and solar as our electricity sources, we may be more likely to conserve since it is more expensive and less available.
Due to public concern, there are companies working on technologies to burn coal in a cleaner and more efficient environment

As we start using more synthetic products we will lessen our demand on our nonrenewable resources such as coal.
Air quality will improve when less coal is burned.
Overall we will have a healthier environment, however, synthetics are much harder to break down when they are no longer of use and need to dispose of them. This could create other undesirable environmental impacts.

Sunday, March 13, 2011