Here in America we flip the switch and the lights come on. When there are major power outages, it makes national news. Utility companies across the nation try to keep their customers satisfied with cheap, dependable power. And all too often, that power is coal.
Coal is bad for several major reasons. First, the mining--whether deep shaft or mountain-top removal--is harmful to people and the environment. Second, endless coal trains rumble across the nation west to east, to feed the coal power plants generating electricity. Those diesel train engines are not environmentally friendly. Third, when burned, coal releases a number of nasties that harm those downwind. It releases mercury, causes acid rain and respiratory problems, and creates the "solar dimming" phenomenon that obscured the sun in Beijing, until China shut down factories for the Olympics.
Do You Know Where Your Electricity Comes From?
