Technologies which allow the integration of power stations underground and as such reduce the damaging effects of surface coal mining (Allied Publishers)
Technologies which reduce the environmental damage associated with coal burning such as fluidized bed combustor or coal gasification (National Energy Education Development Program)
Efforts in the creation of additional sources of renewable energy, such as hydro energy, wind energy or solar energy
On the downside, it has to be noted that the development of technology could not have been possible without the existence of coal. In other words, the simple advent of technology has generated higher levels of coal consumption and has accelerated the process of coal consumption and environmental instability (Laskowski, 2001).
Today, the needs and limitations of energy generation with coal burning have yet to be fully addressed and resolved. This specifically means that the bilateral relationship between technology and coal would continue to unfold -- the needs of coal would stimulate technological developments and the technological developments would support the creation of sustainable coal operations.
5. The future of coal
The future of coal is difficult to foresee. This resource has constituted the starting point in the creation and development of the modern day society. It is unlikely for it to entirely disappear from human activities, but it is also indubitable that its approach would have to suffer modifications in order to leave room for environmental sustainability. In terms of the opinions in the specialized literature, these reveal various scenarios.
William Graebner at the Organization of American Historians for instance argues that coal usage to generate energy would soon reach its maximum potential and will no longer be able to balance out the population's dependency of oil. Additionally, he argues that the use of coal could increase in the detriment of nuclear power. The demand for coal would nevertheless increase especially when the price of oil is expected to increase and the populations would reveal a more intense need for low cost sources of energy, such as the coal (Graebner, 1976).
Robert Underwood (1977) believes that the coal sector would remain stable as long as the coal reserves are concentrated. Nevertheless, he argues that modifications would have to be made in the field of mining, as major challenges are raised in this particular sector of coal extraction. Finally, the editors at Planete Energies argue that the future of coal depends on the policies which would be developed, but they are rather confident that, due to the reserves which are estimated to last for another 200 years, coal would remain a primary source of energy at least for the first half of the twenty-first century.
6. Conclusions
The changes which...
In 2006, production workers, earned $21.40 an hour in oil and gas extraction, $22.08 an hour in coal mining, $22.39 an hour in metal ore mining, and $18.74 an hour in nonmetallic minerals mining, compared to the private industry average of $16.76 an hour Figure 1 and Figure 2 below show the 'Average Earnings of Non-Supervisory Workers in 2006 and Median Hourly Mining of the Largest Occupations in Mining, May
There is also a lack of healthcare facilities capable of doing the screenings in many small, rural Kentucky communities, which is another barrier for many miners. Health professionals need to become more involved in information and screening information. They need to stress the importance of early screening and regular screening, and they need to create educational resources for the miners, so they can take steps to avoid black lung. Health
" President Truman did not deal with the UMWA because he had a love for labor, either. He feared that a prolonged strike would hurt a nation recovering from World War II, and so, he signed the fund into action with the union president. The UMWA was crucial in settling the strike and getting benefits for the miners and at the heart of the organization was its president, John L. Lewis. Lewis
In other words, the finances of a deficit country were constrained because they did not have enough gold to go around, while a country with a surplus did not face those issues. In addition, usually the weight of modification falls on these weaker countries, which is another flaw in the gold standard. Because the weaker countries could not react quickly enough to economic problems, they had less capital to
Another historian notes, "Economically, baby boomers experienced unprecedented national affluence throughout their childhood. During the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economy expanded greatly, raising the living standards of most American families" (Clydesdale 606). Religion played less of a role in society by the 1990s, as church attendance and membership began to decline in the 60s. Historian Clydesdale continues, "When the cultural challenges of the 1960's disestablished this religious ethos,
" The prominence of this type of mining method is underlined by a study prepared for the Governor of West Virginia which states that, "Mountaintop removal methods are essential to maintain the state's present level of coal production. The lower production costs of MTR have contributed significantly to maintaining West Virginia as a competitive coal producer." 3. Environmental impact of coal mining in the Appalachians. 3.1. Underground mining The earliest coal mining in Appalachia consisted
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