The Effects Of Coal On The Wetlands
The Effects of Coal on the Wetlands 1
The Effects of Coal on the Wetlands
Summary
Coal is one of the most used sources of energy in the world. Big energy corporations like it because it is very cheap and abundant. On top of being cheap and abundant coal is very easy to extract as it does not need much heavy equipment like drills. Although coal may sound good it is not. Coal is a very dirty substance. All the processes that involve coal are bad for the environment. Coal damages all different ecosystems but this paper focuses on how coal damages the wetlands. When burned, coal releases toxins that damage the fragile wetland ecosystem. Coal is also bad for the environment when it’s not being burned. Just having coal in the general area can damage …show more content…
The burning of coal releases toxic chemicals, including heavy metals (arsenic, selenium, boron, cadmium, mercury), carbon dioxide, and HCL into the air and in some cases into the water of the environment. Most know coal to be a problem when burned, but simply shipping coal from point A to point B can have negative effects on the environment as well. The transportation of coal can drop coal dust which has suspected negative effects on the environment; especially water environments. When coal is shipped over water, coal dust is blown by the wind into the water and it has various effects on the plants and animals living in that water. One example is the depletion of oxygen that comes from water speckled with coal dust. The wetlands are highly affected by runoff water contaminated by coal. What comes as a big surprise is that there are not many government regulations on the burning of coal, and what’s more is that “[t]he existing standards governing water pollution from power plants have not been updated in 30 years” ( Sierra Club). Due to the lack of regulations on the subject there has been a great …show more content…
The Effects of Coal on the Wetlands 4
The warming changes weather patterns cause distress to environments and they must adapt to these more extreme temperatures and the new weather it brings along with it.
Global warming has been a growing concern to the world in recent years. Many of the world’s most powerful nations have realized the damage that comes from global warming and they have been trying to utilize and develop methods of producing energy that are cleaner than burning fossil fuels. Coal also releases particulate matter into the air.
Particulate matter is the soot and ash that is released into the sky when coal is burned.
Particulate matter can cover up the leaves of plants and make it harder for them to conduct photosynthesis leading to the deaths of many plants in the wetland areas. Plants make up a large part of the wetland area and many of the plants in the wetlands can be found only in wetlands. The plants have adapted to life in very saturated soil and they can’t live in other places. The plants there are also an important food source, either primarily or secondarily, to all the animals that live in the wetlands.
The Effects of Coal on the Wetlands
Summary
Coal is one of the most used sources of energy in the world. Big energy corporations like it because it is very cheap and abundant. On top of being cheap and abundant coal is very easy to extract as it does not need much heavy equipment like drills. Although coal may sound good it is not. Coal is a very dirty substance. All the processes that involve coal are bad for the environment. Coal damages all different ecosystems but this paper focuses on how coal damages the wetlands. When burned, coal releases toxins that damage the fragile wetland ecosystem. Coal is also bad for the environment when it’s not being burned. Just having coal in the general area can damage …show more content…
The burning of coal releases toxic chemicals, including heavy metals (arsenic, selenium, boron, cadmium, mercury), carbon dioxide, and HCL into the air and in some cases into the water of the environment. Most know coal to be a problem when burned, but simply shipping coal from point A to point B can have negative effects on the environment as well. The transportation of coal can drop coal dust which has suspected negative effects on the environment; especially water environments. When coal is shipped over water, coal dust is blown by the wind into the water and it has various effects on the plants and animals living in that water. One example is the depletion of oxygen that comes from water speckled with coal dust. The wetlands are highly affected by runoff water contaminated by coal. What comes as a big surprise is that there are not many government regulations on the burning of coal, and what’s more is that “[t]he existing standards governing water pollution from power plants have not been updated in 30 years” ( Sierra Club). Due to the lack of regulations on the subject there has been a great …show more content…
The Effects of Coal on the Wetlands 4
The warming changes weather patterns cause distress to environments and they must adapt to these more extreme temperatures and the new weather it brings along with it.
Global warming has been a growing concern to the world in recent years. Many of the world’s most powerful nations have realized the damage that comes from global warming and they have been trying to utilize and develop methods of producing energy that are cleaner than burning fossil fuels. Coal also releases particulate matter into the air.
Particulate matter is the soot and ash that is released into the sky when coal is burned.
Particulate matter can cover up the leaves of plants and make it harder for them to conduct photosynthesis leading to the deaths of many plants in the wetland areas. Plants make up a large part of the wetland area and many of the plants in the wetlands can be found only in wetlands. The plants have adapted to life in very saturated soil and they can’t live in other places. The plants there are also an important food source, either primarily or secondarily, to all the animals that live in the wetlands.