Why Natural Resource Coal Is Critical To Australia

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Coal This study will define why the natural resource coal is critical to Australia. 1ai)Coal is a nonrenewable natural resource composed of carbon and hydrocarbons in the form of a black sedimentary rock. It is the most significant natural resource found in Australia, fueling a highly successful industry which in 2005-2006 generated $A.24.5 billion. The coal industry is essential to Australia's high standard of living because it creates significant employment in mining (employs approx 18, 000), production, preparation, transport etc leading to the urbanization of rural communities. This flow-on effect creates the entire infrastructure we see in modern cities, transport, hospital, shopping centres etc. Essentially without this demand…show more content…
It contributes roughly 30% of the world's sum of coal each year. Australia's coal is marketed all over the world, principally for the Asian economy (44% of Australia's coal is exported to Japan.) Without coal our economy would be devastated. The result would be unemployment, electricity price increases, collapse of consumption,economy and related industries etc, resulting in an entirely new way of life. 1b)Coal is a fossil fuel, which means when it is burnt it releases unwanted pollutants which have a negative and harmful impact on our environment. These pollutants are: Carbon Dioxide- This gas is considered to be the most harmful pollutant as it contributes to global warming. Coal is attributed to approximately 20% of the total pollution globally per year of all the fossil fuels. Sulfur emissions- when sulfur mixes with oxygen a harmful substance is formed. SO2, sulfur dioxide effects our trees and water systems and is the prominent cause of acid rain. Mercury- when Mercury enters our water systems it becomes harmful to our ecology (fish, plants, animals etc) and effects anyone who consumes part of the food chain. Nitrogen…show more content…
This is achieved by pre-treating flue gases which effectively remove 99.5% of matter. Burning low sulfur based coal. Large electricity generators have agreed to participate in the Australian Government voluntary generator program . (GES) Which aims to lower greenhouse gases. Australia has recently signed to Kyoto Protocol which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 4 million tonnes becoming 2010. Companies have improved scrubbers, which clean sulfur from the smoke before it leaves the smokestack. Awareness is growing when considering pollution from coal. Here in Australia while we are monitoring carefully the atmospheric pollution caused by coal burning it can be stated categorically that Carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles have far more reaching effects than the pollution created from coal. Coal will continue to be used extensively in Australia because of it's abundance. For example, in 2006 we had 72 billion tonnes of coal which representing 185 years of usage. This is known reserves. Australia is taking more responsibility with pollution emissions however it also has dedicated itself to improving the production process. (As outlined in previous paragraphs) To ensure coal remains a paramount fuel

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