Editing Coal (section)

==Damage to the environment==

{{Main|Environmental impact of the coal industry}}

[[File:Aerial view of ash slide site Dec 23 2008 TVA.gov 123002.jpg|thumb|Aerial photograph of the site of the [[Kingston Fossil Plant]] coal fly ash slurry spill taken the day after [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill|the event]]]]

[[Coal mining]], [[coal combustion wastes]], and [[flue gas]] are causing major environmental damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coal and the environment |url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/coal-and-the-environment.php |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zagoruichyk |first=Anastasiia |date=2022-07-06 |title=Emissions from mining cause 'up to £2.5tn' in environmental damages each year |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/emissions-from-mining-cause-up-to-2-5tn-in-environmental-damages-each-year/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Carbon Brief |language=en}}</ref>

Water systems are affected by coal mining.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Environmental Impact of Coal Mining on Water Regime and Its Management|author=Tiwary, R. K. |journal=Water, Air, & Soil Pollution|year=2001|volume=132|pages=185–99|doi=10.1023/a:1012083519667|bibcode=2001WASP..132..185T |s2cid=91408401 }}</ref> For example, the mining of coal affects [[groundwater]] and [[water table]] levels and acidity. Spills of fly ash, such as the [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill]], can also contaminate land and waterways, and destroy homes. Power stations that burn coal also consume large quantities of water. This can affect the flows of rivers, and has consequential impacts on other land uses. In areas of [[water scarcity]], such as the [[Thar Desert]] in [[Pakistan]], coal mining and coal power plants contribute to the depletion of water resources.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pakistan's Coal Trap |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1387151 |work=Dawn |date=4 February 2018}}</ref>

One of the earliest known impacts of coal on the [[water cycle]] was [[acid rain]]. In 2014, approximately 100 [[Orders of magnitude (mass)#106 to 1011 kg|Tg]]/S of [[sulfur dioxide]] (SO<sub>2</sub>) was released, over half of which was from burning coal.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Zhong|first1=Qirui|last2=Shen |first2=Huizhong|last3=Yun|first3=Xiao|last4=Chen|first4=Yilin|last5=Ren|first5=Yu'ang|last6=Xu |first6=Haoran|last7=Shen|first7=Guofeng|last8=Du |first8=Wei|last9=Meng|first9=Jing|last10=Li |first10=Wei|last11=Ma|first11=Jianmin|date=2020-06-02|title=Global Sulfur Dioxide Emissions and the Driving Forces|url=https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b07696|journal=Environmental Science & Technology |volume=54|issue=11|pages=6508–6517|doi=10.1021/acs.est.9b07696|pmid=32379431|bibcode=2020EnST...54.6508Z |s2cid=218556619|issn=0013-936X}}</ref> After release, the sulfur dioxide is oxidized to H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> which scatters solar radiation, hence its increase in the atmosphere exerts a cooling effect on the climate. This beneficially masks some of the warming caused by increased greenhouse gases. However, the sulfur is precipitated out of the atmosphere as acid rain in a matter of weeks,<ref>{{cite journal|title=The oxidation rate and residence time of sulphur dioxide in the arctic atmosphere |author1=Barrie, L.A. |author2=Hoff, R.M. |journal=Atmospheric Environment|volume=18|issue=12|year=1984 |pages=2711–2722|doi=10.1016/0004-6981(84)90337-8|bibcode=1984AtmEn..18.2711B }}</ref> whereas carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. Release of SO<sub>2</sub> also contributes to the widespread acidification of ecosystems.<ref>Human Impacts on Atmospheric Chemistry, by PJ Crutzen and J Lelieveld, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Vol. 29: 17–45 (Volume publication date May 2001)</ref>

Disused coal mines can also cause issues. Subsidence can occur above tunnels, causing damage to infrastructure or cropland. Coal mining can also cause long lasting fires, and it has been estimated that thousands of [[coal seam fire]]s are burning at any given time.<ref name="Deep underground">{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=23 July 2010 |author=Cray, Dan |title=Deep Underground, Miles of Hidden Wildfires Rage |url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2006195,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100728003147/http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2006195,00.html |archive-date=28 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, [[Brennender Berg]] has been burning since 1668, and is still burning in the 21st century.<ref name="mineralienatlas">{{cite web |title=Das Naturdenkmal Brennender Berg bei Dudweiler |trans-title=The natural monument Burning Mountain in Dudweiler |language=de |work=Mineralienatlas |access-date=3 October 2016 |url=https://www.mineralienatlas.de/?l=3741}}</ref>

The production of coke from coal produces ammonia, coal tar, and gaseous compounds as byproducts which if discharged to land, air or waterways can pollute the environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Of Coke: Coke is a High Temperature Fuel|url=http://www.ustimes.com/WorldOfCoke/|website=www.ustimes.com|access-date=16 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127154337/http://www.ustimes.com/WorldOfCoke/ |archive-date=27 November 2015}}</ref> The [[Whyalla steelworks]] is one example of a coke producing facility where liquid ammonia was discharged to the marine environment.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Rajaram|first1=Vasudevan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5uTM2jFMzH4C&pg=PA113|title=Sustainable Mining Practices: A Global Perspective|last2=Parameswaran|first2=Krishna |last3=Dutta|first3=Subijoy|publisher=[[CRC Press]]|year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4398-3423-7|location=|pages=113}}</ref>

===Climate change===
[[File:1979- Radiative forcing - climate change - global warming - EPA NOAA.svg|thumb|upright=1.5 | The warming influence (called [[radiative forcing]]) of long-lived greenhouse gases has nearly doubled in 40 years, with carbon dioxide being the dominant driver of global warming.<ref name="NOAA_AGGI_2023">{{cite web |title=The NOAA Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI) |url=https://gml.noaa.gov/aggi/aggi.html |website=NOAA.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005195609/https://gml.noaa.gov/aggi/aggi.html |archive-date=5 October 2024 |date=2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The largest and most long-term effect of coal use is the release of carbon dioxide, a [[greenhouse gas]] that causes [[climate change]]. Coal-fired power plants were the single largest contributor to the growth in global CO<sub>2</sub> emissions in 2018,<ref name="Gençsü 2019, p. 8">Gençsü (2019), p. 8</ref> 40% of the total fossil fuel emissions,<ref name="phys2018">{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2018-12-china-unbridled-export-coal-power_1.html|title=China's unbridled export of coal power imperils climate goals|access-date=7 December 2018}}</ref> and more than a quarter of total emissions.<ref name="cebf" />{{refn|14.4 gigatonnes coal/50 gigatonnes total|group=note}} Coal mining can emit methane, another greenhouse gas.<ref>{{cite news |title=China's Coal Plants Haven't Cut Methane Emissions as Required, Study Finds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/climate/china-coal-climate-change.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/coal-mines-emit-more-methane-than-oil-and-gas-sector-study-finds|title=Coal mines emit more methane than oil-and-gas sector, study finds|last=Gabbatiss|first=Josh|date=2020-03-24|website=Carbon Brief|language=en|access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref>

In 2016 world gross [[carbon dioxide emissions]] from coal usage were 14.5 gigatonnes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Emissions |url=http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions |publisher=Global Carbon Atlas |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> For every megawatt-hour generated, coal-fired electric power generation emits around a tonne of carbon dioxide, which is double the approximately 500&nbsp;kg of carbon dioxide released by a [[natural gas]]-fired electric plant.<ref>{{cite web|title=How much carbon dioxide is produced when different fuels are burned?|work=eia.gov|url=https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=73&t=11|access-date=7 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-date=12 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112095655/http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=73&t=11}}</ref> The emission intensity of coal varies with type and generator technology and exceeds 1200&nbsp;g per kWh in some countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tranberg |first1=Bo |last2=Corradi |first2=Olivier |last3=Lajoie |first3=Bruno |last4=Gibon |first4=Thomas |last5=Staffell |first5=Iain |last6=Andresen |first6=Gorm Bruun |year=2019 |title=Real-Time Carbon Accounting Method for the European Electricity Markets |journal=Energy Strategy Reviews |volume=26 |pages=100367 |arxiv=1812.06679 |bibcode=2019EneSR..2600367T |doi=10.1016/j.esr.2019.100367 |s2cid=125361063}}</ref> In 2013, the head of the UN climate agency advised that most of the world's coal reserves should be left in the ground to avoid catastrophic global warming.<ref>{{cite news|title=Leave coal in the ground to avoid climate catastrophe, UN tells industry|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/18/leave-coal-avoid-climate-catastrophe-un|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102164315/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/18/leave-coal-avoid-climate-catastrophe-un|archive-date=2 January 2017|newspaper=The Guardian |date=2013-11-18 |last1=Vidal|first1=John|last2=Readfearn|first2=Graham}}</ref> To keep global warming below 1.5&nbsp;°C or 2&nbsp;°C hundreds, or possibly thousands, of coal-fired power plants will need to be retired early.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/07/we-have-too-many-fossil-fuel-power-plants-to-meet-climate-goals/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702105444/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/07/we-have-too-many-fossil-fuel-power-plants-to-meet-climate-goals/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 July 2019|title=We have too many fossil-fuel power plants to meet climate goals |date=2019-07-01 |website=Environment|language=en|access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref>

===Underground fires===
{{Main|Coal-seam fire}}

Thousands of coal fires are burning around the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sino German Coal fire project |url=http://www.coalfire.caf.dlr.de/projectareas/world_wide_distribution_en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050830091254/http://www.coalfire.caf.dlr.de/projectareas/world_wide_distribution_en.html |archive-date=30 August 2005 |access-date=9 September 2005}}</ref> Those burning underground can be difficult to locate and many cannot be extinguished. Fires can cause the ground above to subside, their combustion gases are dangerous to life, and breaking out to the surface can initiate surface [[wildfire]]s. Coal seams can be set on fire by [[spontaneous combustion]] or contact with a [[mine fire]] or surface fire. Lightning strikes are an important source of ignition. The coal continues to burn slowly back into the seam until oxygen (air) can no longer reach the flame front. A grass fire in a coal area can set dozens of coal seams on fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=Committee on Resources-Index |url=http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/108/testimony/johnmasterson.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050825231038/http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/108/testimony/johnmasterson.htm |archive-date=25 August 2005 |access-date=9 September 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Snapshots 2003 |url=http://www.fire.blm.gov/textdocuments/6-27-03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218013724/http://www.fire.blm.gov/textdocuments/6-27-03.pdf |archive-date=18 February 2006 |access-date=9 September 2005 |work=fire.blm.gov}}</ref> Coal fires in China burn an estimated 120 million tons of coal a year, emitting 360 million metric tons of CO<sub>2</sub>, amounting to 2–3% of the annual worldwide production of CO<sub>2</sub> from [[fossil fuel]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=EHP 110-5, 2002: Forum |url=http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110-5/forum.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050731081620/http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110-5/forum.html |archive-date=31 July 2005 |access-date=9 September 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Overview about ITC's activities in China |url=http://www.itc.nl/personal/coalfire/activities/overview.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050616004903/http://www.itc.nl/personal/coalfire/activities/overview.html |archive-date=16 June 2005 |access-date=9 September 2005}}</ref>