Many people would have you believe that coal is a cheap safe form of energy production. That is only if you ignore the costs, both human and environmental, that coal burning produces.

A 2001 EU-funded study known as ExternE, or Externalities of Energy, over the decade from 1995 to 2005 found that the cost of producing electricity from coal would double over its present value, if external costs were taken into account. These external costs include damage to the environment and to human health from airborne particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, chromium VI and arsenic emissions produced by coal.

- Coal and coal waste products (including fly ash, bottom ash and boiler slag) release approximately 20 toxic-release chemicals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, vanadium, beryllium, cadmium, barium, chromium, copper, molybdenum, zinc, selenium and radium, which are dangerous if released into the environment. While these substances are trace impurities, enough coal is burned that significant amounts of these substances are released

- Coal also contains low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally occurring radioactive isotopes which, if released into the environment, may lead to radioactive contamination. Coal plants emit radiation in the form of radioactive fly ash, which is inhaled and ingested by neighbours, and incorporated into crops.

- Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity, and the list of historical coal mining disasters is long. The principal hazards are mine wall failures and vehicle collisions; underground mining hazards include suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse and gas explosions. Chronic lung diseases, such as pneumoconiosis (black lung) were once common in miners, leading to reduced life expectancy. In some mining countries black lung is still common, with 4,000 new cases of black lung every year in the US (4 percent of workers annually) and 10,000 new cases every year in China (0.2 percent of workers). Rates may be higher than reported in some regions.

- In New York State winds deposit mercury from the coal-fired power plants of the Midwest, contaminating the waters of the Catskill Mountains. Mercury is concentrated up the food chain, as it is converted into methylmercury, a toxic compound which harms both wildlife and people who consume freshwater fish. The mercury is consumed by worms, which are eaten by fish, which are eaten by birds (including bald eagles).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_the_coal_industry

As I've always said, the best argument against fossil fuels and in particular, coal, should be made against how dirty it is.

I believe in AGW but I don't catastrophise what will happen.

Coal, on the other hand is filthy and if the true cost was applied against it, it would not be competitive.

I still think we need a mix of nuclear and rewnewables.

"Coal and coal waste products -While these substances are trace impurities, enough coal is burned that significant amounts of these substances are released.21"

From the underlying paper - "The potential benefits and threats of these released materials will someday be of such significance that they should not now be ignored"

Potential benefits? I thought it was all downside.

Coal also contains low levels of uranium, thorium, and other naturally occurring radioactive isotopes which, if released into the environment, may lead to radioactive contamination.

So much uncertainty.

""Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity"

Agreed. And yet miners still do it. Even protesting closing mines.

"In New York State winds deposit mercury from the coal-fired power plants of the Midwest, contaminating the waters of the Catskill Mountains. Mercury is concentrated up the food chain, as it is converted into methylmercury, a toxic compound which harms both wildlife and people who consume freshwater fish. The mercury is consumed by worms, which are eaten by fish, which are eaten by birds (including bald eagles). "

And further -
"Ocean fish account for the majority of human exposure to methylmercury; the full range of sources of methylmercury in ocean fish is not well understood."

Have you ever heard of natural burning coal, peat? What mitigation strategies are in place?

How many died?

"But in a statement, it also said its own investigations into official birth deaths and marriages figures showed there was no increase in deaths during the time of the fire.

    "We have also received official data from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages on deaths in Morwell, Churchill, Moe and Traralgon from January to June in the years 2009 to 2014 inclusive.

    The data shows no increase in deaths in Morwell during the period of the Hazelwood open cut coal mine fire compared with the same period in previous years.""

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-12/hazelwood-mine-fire-pollution-blamed-for-1...

Pho Huc wrote on Feb 14^th, 2018 at 2:53am:


You could say anything you want. Without evidence it means nothing. How is the study of the sailings of the Arctic going? The one that paper you quoted said couldn't have happened.

Some of you may remember the New Zealand coal mine disaster in 2010 where 29 people were killed

The Pike River Mine disaster was a coal mining accident that began on 19 November 2010 in the Pike River Mine,

A methane explosion occurred in the mine at approximately 3:44 p.m. . At the time of the explosion 31 miners and contractors were present in the mine. Two miners managed to walk from the mine; they were treated for moderate injuries and released from Greymouth Hospital the next day. The remaining 16 miners and 13 contractors, often referred to as the twenty-nine, were believed to be at least 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) from the mine's entrance.

Following a second explosion on 24 November at 2:37 p.m., the 29 remaining men were believed by police to be dead. Police Superintendent Gary Knowles, officer in command of the rescue operation (Operation Pike) said he believed that "based on that explosion, no one survived." A third explosion occurred at 3:39 p.m. on 26 November 2010, and a fourth explosion occurred just before 2 p.m. on 28 November 2010. According to the new mine owner, Solid Energy, the bodies of the 29 miners who died there may never be recovered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_River_Mine_disaster