 Why is coal doing so much environmental damage?Simple: it is the most carbon-rich of all fossil fuels. Burning coal generates 70% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than natural gas for every unit of energy produced.
Coal is the sedimentary organic rock formed from vegetation that lived millions of years ago.
The most mature coal variety, anthracite - hard, black and lustrous - is nearly pure carbon, and has historically been regarded as useful to humans because of its high energy content.
But dirty brown coal, or lignite, produces most CO2 per unit of energy.
Labels: emissions, greenhouse gas |
