Mining coal

Mining causes widespread deforestation, soil erosion, water shortages and pollution, smouldering coal fires and the emission of greenhouse gases. Massive excavation operations strip land bare, lower water tables, generate huge waste mountains and blanket surrounding communities with dust particles and debris. Mining leads to the loss of fertile soils through erosion, while runoff into nearby water bodies clogs rivers and smothers aquatic life. It kills miners quickly through accidents, or more slowly with black lung disease. And it also displaces whole communities, forced to abandon their homes because of coal mines, coal fires, landslides and contaminated water supplies.

Burning coal

Coal combustion leaves a similar trail of destruction in its wake. The huge volumes of water needed to “wash” coal and cool operating power stations cause water shortages in many areas. Pollutants spewed from smokestacks threaten public health and the environment – fine dust particles are a major cause of pulmonary (lung) disease; mercury harms neurological development in children and the unborn; and coal-fired power plants are the biggest single source of polluting emissions, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and methane, contributing to climate change and causing acid rain and smog.

Coal’s legacy

The damage caused by coal doesn’t end once it’s burnt. At the end of the chain are coal combustion wastes (known collectively as CCW), abandoned mines, devastated communities and ravaged landscapes. CCWs are toxic and often laced with lead, arsenic and cadmium that can cause poisoning, kidney diseases and cancer respectively. Acid mine drainage (AMD) damages soils and makes water unsafe for consumption. Collapsing mines cause land to subside, resulting in structural damage to homes and buildings and infrastructure like highways, buildings and bridges. Attempts to mitigate the devastation left once coal is removed are inadequate at best. “Reclaimed” land never quite recovers; poisoned communities remain contaminated; and no matter how hard you scrub, the social fabric of human societies is forever dirtied with coal dust.

Every link in the chain of custody contributes to the overall damage caused by coal – each in its own particular way. This damage is real. It will only get worse in the future if nothing is done. And it all forms part of the true cost of coal.