Clean Coal? Myth or Reality. Activity 3.2.2.2

Despite Trumps and others political claims, 'clean coal' is a misleading concept, as the environmental and health impacts of coal extraction and burning remain largely unaddressed, making it an unrealistic solution for sustainable energy production. Coal extraction, even with the government's promise of "clean coal," continues to significantly impact our environment, and increases methane emissions and habitat destruction. According to Brad Plumer’s article, “Mining for coal remains a highly polluting practice, often damaging streams and waterways.” One of the most damaging mining practices, mountaintop removal, which involves blasting off the tops of mountains to access coal, dumping the rocks and rumble into nearby valleys and polluting water sources. This process not only destroys ecosystems but also contaminates water supplies, affecting wildlife and human populations in the surrounding areas.This indicates that "clean coal" is a misleading term, as it ignores the broader environmental costs associated with coal as a fuel source. Therefore coal mining's negative long lasting effects on our environment, coupled with the inefficacy of CCS technology, shows that "clean coal" does not offer a feasible solution to the energy challenges we face. Despite all the claims of “clean coal” evidence shows there are still harmful emissions being produced by burning coal done on the daily. Mountaintop removal (MTR) mining is one of the most destructive methods to get coal. This process involves blasting off the summits of mountains and dumping the debris into nearby valleys. As Brad Plumer points out, “Mining for coal remains a highly polluting practice, often damaging streams and waterways.” This practice damages adjacent communities, ruins ecosystems, and contaminates local water sources. The harm that mining causes to the environment cannot be prevented, no matter how hard efforts are made to increase the efficiency of coal plants. This illustrates how the term "clean coal" is deceptive because it ignores the higher environmental costs associated with coal extraction. The promise of "clean coal" is ultimately meaningless if these problems are not resolved, demonstrating that coal cannot be regarded as a sustainable energy source even with new technologies.The term “clean coal” was popularized in 2008 by coal industry groups, at a time when Congress was contemplating climate change legislation.” (Plumer) “clean coal” is a misleading term for any of these techniques. Even a coal power plant that emits fewer pollutants is still a far dirtier way to produce electricity than a natural gas, nuclear, wind or solar plant. “Clean coal” technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS),have failed to provide a viable solution to the environmental and health concerns associated with coal use. Only one coal plant in the United States actually captures CO2 in this fashion, and is named the Petra Nova project in Texas. This technology is costly and complex, it's still in its infancy and has not been successfully implemented on a large scale. The Southern Company had to abandon a more ambitious coal carbon capture project in June because it ran $4 billion over budget. Given the limitations of "clean coal" technologies and the persistence of environmental damage, the idea of clean coal remains more of a political slogan than a viable solution. The promotion of "clean coal" is largely driven by political and economic interests, rather than genuine environmental benefits. Administration officials often use “clean coal” to refer to highly efficient coal plants that don’t use carbon capture, but emit somewhat less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than older coal plants. Coal companies can also take steps to reduce the pollutants generated by burning coal in traditional plants by washing coal that comes out of mines to reduce its ash content. Mr. Trump seemed to be referring to this latter practice in his Phoenix speech as clean coal.”(Plumber) The government and coal companies have promoted "clean coal" to avoid transitioning to renewable energy sources for profit. Given these political and economic motivations, the concept of "clean coal" lacks the integrity needed to address real environmental challenges. In Conclusion “clean coal” is a myth, made up by political and economic interests rather than using renewable energy sources that are unlimited like solar power or wind turbines.(Jerome) Coal continues to be extracted, destroying our environment for profit. While the term “clean coal” suggests an expensive solution to the harmful effects of coal, the reality is that coal extraction and combustion continue to have devastating environmental impacts, including habitat destruction, water pollution, and significant greenhouse gas emissions. Despite claims that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies could make coal cleaner, these technologies remain in their infancy, costly, and ineffective on a large scale. Ultimately coal extraction is continuing to damage our environment and health, and with failed promises of “clean coal” it is clear that this is a political tool and they do not care about the goal of cleaner energy alternatives. Cites Jerome, B. A. (Producer). (2017). Exploring Natural Resources [Video file]. Visual Learning Systems. https://nvc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://video.alexanderstreet.com/p/oZvY48GoB Links to an external site. Plumer, B. (2017, August 23). What ‘clean coal’ is—and isn’t. *The New York Times*. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/climate/what-clean-coal-is-and-isnt.html