What do you think about coal as a source of energy and fuel?

Question

A lot of politicians think coal is not a problem. We have plenty of coal resources in this country, we can make electricity with it, we can make liquid fuels with it, and we can sequester the carbon.

I do not agree with this but pretend I do and create an argument against it.

Answer 1

global warming? releases to many CO2s

Answer 2

solar power is the future. coal makes it really dark and sooty.

Answer 3

I actually just had to do a report on this...

Coal has many ups and downs, usage wise. A few good things are that when it is cleaned properly and used correctly, it is a great energy source. A bad thing is that it is estimated that we will only have enough coal to supply us for about the next 240 years at the rate we are using now. Another downside would be that not all coal is cleaned properly and is capable of setting off green house gases when burned. Some of it is mixed with other thing from the air causing acid rain.

Answer 4

We should be investing the time, money and energy into alternative energies. This just sounds like a pathetic excuse to keep on burning coal. Sequestering carbon is possible, but I don't ever see it happening on a scale (globally) that is going to make any noticeable difference. It's expensive. What about all the coal stations we already have? It's not that there's a shortage of coal (not even close), it's entirely an environmental issue. I don't believe nations should be approaching global warming, for example, independently. It's a global problem, and it's common sense that it is approached that way. If you want a pessimist's view: It doesn't matter what we're doing. The fact is that China, by itself, is building 2 coal plants/week, not to mention the emissions from the rest of the world. Problems like acid rain, increase global warming, poor air quality, health issues... (the list goes on for about another mile) are going to become irreversible. The sad part is that it could already be too late, and we are now just fighting a loosing battle

Answer 5

they now want to set coal under ground a mile down on fire for energy

Answer 6

Coal is a problem...all the soot that goes in the air. Whadda you thinkin'? When we have spare the air days in the Bay Area we can't even BBQ that's how good coal is for the enviorment.

Answer 7

The biggest problem with coal is that it is contaminated with radioactive Uranium,  and Thorium. Coal is also contaminated with mercury.

When coal is burmned the Mercury is vaporized and goes up the smoke stack and pollutes the surrounding environment with Mercury.

Uranium and Thorium also attach to the fly ash and go up the smoke stack and pollute the surrounding area.  Also the radioactive Uranium and Thorium are concentrated in the ash that is left after the coal is burned.

This creates an enormous waste disposal problem that has not been adequately addressed.

Answer 8

are you thinking of using the coal you got from santa this year to heat your cabin?

Answer 9

It is natural.

Answer 10

Dig it, then burn it.  Or convert it to gasoline and then burn it.  It's all good.

Answer 11

The technology has not caught up with being able to sequester all of the negatives of burning coal. Besides being more expensive to mine and transport the final raw liquid would raise the end product by too much. But basically you have a good argument.

Answer 12

very smokey and stinky but cooks very nice barbecue charcoal grilled kebabs ammmmm yummy yummy

Answer 13

Coal, like oil, is an obsolete technology.  It will not be able to compete with alternative technologies currently available (e.g. nuclear, solar, wind) after changes in public policy are implemented that allow the fossil fuel industry to prevent these products from being available to consumers and industry.

Further, the notion of "sequestering" billions of tons of carbon dioxide is pure fantasy.  The cost would be prohibitive. Coal is no longer competetative (in a free market) even without that added cost.

Its hight time we quit looking to the causes of our environmental and energy problems for the "solutions." This is a technology that was old a century ago. It's long overdue for the scrap heap. As for the politicians--take a look at where their "campaign contributions" are coming from.

Answer 14

I think burning coal to generate electricity is wasting coal.  Nuclear power is a much better and cleaner source for generation of electricity.  

Coal should be used for liquid fuels and chemical feedstock.

Answer 15

Why bother 'sequestering' coal after it's burned? It's ALREADY sequestered! The problem is the co2 you gett from burning it. And  I don't think you can sequester that. Unless you know how to make rock out of it. CaCO3?

Answer 16

Coal is a finite natural resource, so even if we wanted to switch to that, it isn't an end in itself.  Does it make more sense to switch to a renewable now and spend the money once, or switch to coal, then when that threatens to run out, switch again?  I'd rather just spend the cash once, thanks.

Answer 17

just look up fossil fuel and you'll find all the arguments you'll need