Before reading articles about mining and their environmental effects, I had no idea of how terrible this truly was for the planet. Coal mining, the first step in the dirty life cycle of coal, causes deforestation and releases toxic amounts of minerals and heavy metals into the soil and water. The effects of mining coal persists for years after coal is removed.

Destruction and poison linger

Bad mining practices can ignite coal fires, which can burn for decades, release fly ash and smoke laden with greenhouse gasses and toxic chemicals. Furthermore mining releases coal mine methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Coal dust inhalation causes black lung disease among miners and those who live nearby, and mine accidents kill thousands every year. Coal mining displaces whole communities, forced off their land by expanding mines, coal fires, subsidence and contaminated water supplies.

There are two widely used ways of mining: strip mining and underground mining.

Strip mining

Strip mining involves scraping away earth and rocks to get to coal buried near the surface. In many cases, mountains are literally blasted apart to reach thin coal seams within, leaving permanent scars on the landscape as a result. Strip mining accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s coal mines but in some countries, such as Australia, open cast mines make up 80 percent of mines. Even though it’s highly destructive, industry often prefers strip mining as it requires less labor and yields more coal than underground mining. 

Impacts of strip mining

• Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. This in turn leads to soil erosion and destruction of agricultural land.
• When rain washes the loosened top soil into streams, sediments pollute waterways. This can hurt fish and smother plant life downstream, and cause disfiguration of river channels and streams, which leads to flooding.
• There is an increased risk of chemical contamination of ground water when minerals in upturned earth seep into the water table, and watersheds are destroyed when disfigured land loses the water it once held.
• Strip mining causes dust and noise pollution when top soil is disrupted with heavy machinery and coal dust is created in mines.

After a mine is shut down, the dry, barren land is still contaminated for years after.

Although many countries require reclamation plans for coal mining sites, undoing all the environmental damages to water supplies, destroyed habitats, and poor air quality is a long and problematic task. This land disturbance is on a vast scale. In the US, between 1930 and 2000, coal mining altered about 5.9 million acres of natural landscape, most of it originally forest. Attempts to re-seed land destroyed by coal mining is difficult because the mining process has so thoroughly damaged the soil. For example, in Montana, replanting projects had a success rate of only 20-30 percent, while in some places in Colorado only 10 percent of oak aspen seedlings that were planted survived.

Underground mining

The majority of the world’s coal is obtained through underground mines.  While underground mining, which allows coal companies to extract deeper deposits of coal, is viewed as less destructive than strip mining, the effects of mining widespread damage to the environment. In room-and-pillar mines, columns of coal are left to support the ground above during the initial mining process, then they are often taken out and the mine is left to collapse, which is known as subsidence. In long-wall mines, mechanical shearers strip the coal from the mines. Support structures that enable the shearers’ access to the mine are eventually removed, and the mine collapses. It is these effects of mining that nobody sees but are the most troubling of all. 

Impacts of underground mining

• Underground mining causes huge amounts of waste earth and rock to be brought to the surface – waste that often becomes toxic when it comes into contact with air and water.
• It causes subsidence as mines collapse and the land above it starts to sink. This causes serious damage to buildings.
• It lowers the water table, changing the flow of groundwater and streams. In Germany for example, over 500 million cubic metres of water are pumped out of the ground every year. Only a small percentage of this is used by industry or local towns – the rest is wasted. What’s worse is that removing so much water creates a kind of funnel that drains water from an area much larger than the immediate coal-mining environment.
• Coal mining produces also greenhouse gas emissions.

Common health threats posed by coal mining

• Pneumoconiosis, aka black lung disease or CWP, is caused when miners breathe in coal dust and carbon, which harden the lungs. Estimates show that 1,200 people in the US still die from black lung disease annually. The situation in developing countries is even worse.
• Cardiopulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, lung disease, and kidney disease have been found in higher-than-normal rates among residents who live near coal mines, according to a 2001 US study.
• Toxic levels of arsenic, fluorine, mercury, and selenium are emitted by coal fires, entering the air and the food chain of those living nearby.
• Mine collapses and accidents kill thousands of workers around the world every year. Chinese coal mine accidents killed 4,700 people in 2006.

Environmental impact of coal mining

About coal mining impacts

Coal and the environment

To understand ozone layer, it would be helpful to know the different layers of the atmosphere. The earth’s atmosphere is composed of many layers, each playing a significant role. The first layer stretching approximately 10 kilometers upwards from the earth’s surface is known as the troposphere. A lot of human activities such as gas balloons, mountain climbing, and small aircraft flights take place within this region.

The stratosphere is the next layer above the troposphere stretching approximately 15 to 60 kilometers. The ozone layer sits in the lower region of the stratosphere from about 20-30 kilometers above the surface of the earth. The thickness of the ozone layer is about 3 to 5 mm, but it pretty much fluctuates depending on the season and geography. 

Ozone layer is a deep layer in earth’s atmosphere that contain ozone which is a naturally occurring molecule containing three oxygen atoms. These ozone molecules form a gaseous layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere called stratosphere. This lower region of stratosphere containing relatively higher concentration of ozone is called Ozonosphere. The Ozonosphere is found 15-35 km (9 to 22 miles) above the surface of the earth.

It comes as a surprise that the same UV rays form the bulk of ozone layer. Ozone is an extraordinary kind of oxygen composed of 3 oxygen atoms instead of the normal 2 oxygen atoms. Ozone layer normally develops when a few kinds of electrical discharge or radiation splits the 2 atoms in an oxygen molecule, which then independently reunite with other types of molecules to form ozone. The ozone layer has been shielding life on planet earth for billions of years, but it’s now being worn out by human activities.

People began to value the importance of the ozone layer when scientists released a research finding suggesting that certain human-made chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons managed to reach the stratosphere and depleted the ozone via a profound series of chemical reactions. The results of this research study prompted the signing of a global treaty known as the Montreal Protocol in 1973. This treaty helped in the reduction of the production of these harmful human-made chemicals.

These targeted efforts have seen the ozone layer recovering over the past years. The thickness of the ozone layer varies immensely on any day and location. Due to relentless vertical atmospheric air circulation in both the stratosphere and troposphere, the amount of ozone layer shielding humans from strong UV rays can be lesser or greater. In addition, those residing in higher elevations are at risk of UV radiation than those at lower elevations.

So why is the Ozone layer necessary?

An essential property of ozone molecule is its ability to block solar radiations of wavelengths less than 290 nanometers from reaching Earth’s surface. In this process, it also absorbs ultraviolet radiations that are dangerous for most living beings. UV radiation could injure or kill life on Earth. Though the absorption of UV radiations warms the stratosphere but it is important for life to flourish on planet Earth. Research scientists have anticipated disruption of susceptible terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to depletion of ozone layer.

Ultraviolet radiation could destroy the organic matter. Plants and plankton cannot thrive, both acts as food for land and sea animals, respectively. For humans, excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation leads to higher risks of cancer (especially skin cancer) and cataracts. It is calculated that every 1 percent decrease in ozone layer results in a 2-5 percent increase in the occurrence of skin cancer. Other ill-effects of the reduction of protective ozone layer include – increase in the incidence of cataracts, sunburns and suppression of the immune system.

Causes of Ozone layer depletion.

Credible scientific studies have substantiated that the cause of ozone layer depletion is human activity, specifically, human-made chemicals that contain chlorine or bromine. These chemicals are widely known as ODS, an acronym for Ozone-Depleting Substances.

Ozone-Depleting Substances have been proven to be eco-friendly, very stable and non-toxic in the atmosphere below. This is why they have gained popularity over the years. However, their stability comes at a price; they are able to float and remain static high up in the stratosphere. When up there, ODS are comfortably broken down by the strong UV light and the resultant chemical is chlorine and bromine. Chlorine and bromine are known to deplete the ozone layer at supersonic speeds. They do this by simply stripping off an atom from the ozone molecule. One chlorine molecule has the capability to break down thousands of ozone molecules.

Effects of Ozone depletion

1. Damage to human health. If the ozone layer is depleted, humans will be overly exposed to strong UV light. Overexposure to strong UV light causes skin cancer, cataracts, sunburns, weakening of immune system and quick aging.
2. Devastation to environment. Many crops species are vulnerable to strong UV light and overexposure may well lead to minimal growth, photosynthesis and flowering. Some of the crop species vulnerable to UV light include barley, wheat, corn, oats, rice, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, just to name a few. Forests equally bear the brunt of ozone depletion.
3. Threat to marine life. Certain marine life, especially planktons, is greatly impacted by exposure to strong ultraviolet rays. In the aquatic food chain, planktons appear high up. If planktons decrease in number due to ozone layer destruction, the marine food chain would be disrupted in many ways. Also, overexposure of sun rays could reduce the fortunes of fishers. On top of that, certain species of marine life have been greatly affected by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation at their early stage.

Solutions to Ozone depletion

1. Refrain from using pesticides. Pesticides are great chemicals to rid your farm of pests and weeds, but they contribute enormously to ozone layer depletion. The surefire solution to get rid of pests and weeds is to apply natural methods. Just weed your farm manually and use alternative eco-friendly chemicals to alleviate pests.
2. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Most household cleaning products are loaded with harsh chemicals that find way to the atmosphere, eventually contributing to degradation of the ozone layer. Use natural and environmentally friendly cleaning products to arrest this situation.

Climate change is an issue primarily because the world cannot come to an agreement on whether or not it’s real. Before I even discuss it, I want to talk about how I see the issues. Throughout my life I had heard people arguing over climate change and if it existed or not, and I really didn’t listen. I’m not one to get into arguments with people simply because I don’t like heated conversations, so when it comes to controversial topics, I am not a fan. That being said, it took me a while to come up with how I actually felt about the reality of climate change. During my seminar class last semester, we discussed a lot of environmental issues, one being climate change, and we watched a movie on it. We watched Before the Flood with Leo DiCaprio and I have to say this movie really opened my eyes to the actual issues. I am now a believer that climate change exists, and these issues really scare me. But enough about me, let’s talk about climate change.

While consensus among nearly all scientists, scientific organizations, and governments is that climate change is happening and is caused by human activity, a small minority of voices questions the validity of such assertions and prefers to cast doubt on the preponderance of evidence. Climate change deniers often claim that recent changes attributed to human activity can be seen as part of the natural variations in Earth’s climate and temperature, and that it is difficult or impossible to establish a direct connection between climate change and any single weather event, such as a hurricane. While the latter is generally true, decades of data and analysis support the reality of climate change—and the human factor in this process. In any case, economists agree that acting to reduce fossil fuel emissions would be far less expensive than dealing with the consequences of not doing so. 

Just to add since this issue pertains to my future career specifically, I do not want to become a petroleum engineer simply for the money, as a lot of people might think. I know that what happens in this oil and gas industry is harmful to the planet, and a goal of mine is to reduce the insanely large carbon footprint it leaves.

Some of the other main causes of climate change include agriculture and deforestation, which I talked about in a previous post. Yes agriculture provides us with the food we eat everyday, but it poses a huge threat on the climate. Industrial agriculture — the practice currently employed by the majority of the developed world — has a hugely negative impact on global warming. The U.S. food system contributes nearly 20 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions; on a global scale, figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say that agricultural land use contributes 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Supporting industrial agriculture perpetuates these disturbing practices.

It’s not just the actual farming that makes industrial agriculture so detrimental. In almost every case, land use changes — say, deforestation, or paving over green space for suburban expansion — result in more surface warming. One exception: When deforestation occurs to create more agricultural land. That’s right, deforestation results in surface warming, with the exception being conversion to agriculture.

The difference here is that we’re talking surface warming, rather than changing atmospheric conditions, and, while chopping down a forest might make it feel cooler, forests have a much greater potential to carbon dioxide than does monocultural, industrial agriculture. The bottom line: The effect of land use conversion on rising surface temps is an underestimated component of global warming, and just because it feels cooler today than it did yesterday does not mean big-time climate change is right around the corner.

Even small increases in Earth’s temperature caused by climate change can have severe effects. The earth’s average temperature has gone up 1.4° F over the past century and is expected to rise as much as 11.5° F over the next. That might not seem like a lot, but the average temperature during the last Ice Age was about 4º F lower than it is today.

Rising sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps (again, caused by climate change) contribute to greater storm damage; warming ocean temperatures are associated with stronger and more frequent storms; additional rainfall, particularly during severe weather events, leads to flooding and other damage; an increase in the incidence and severity of wildfires threatens habitats, homes, and lives; and heat waves contribute to human deaths and other consequences.

So we know the threat is real, but what can we do to prevent climate change from being exacerbated even more? Some small steps you can take in your own life are to use less electricity by turning off your lights when you don’t need

them, driving less, switching to LED bulbs and eating less meat. On a more global scale, leaders have come to an agreement on how to curb the harmful greenhouse gases each nation emits into the atmosphere, and steps are being taken to plant more forests (which act as natural carbon sinks). Every bit helps, but in order for us to reverse the current course the Earth is on, the United States needs to commit to the Paris Agreement and, along with the rest of the world, work towards a greener planet.

What is Climate Change

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