Letter to the Editor
ByDear Government of Canada,
I would like to state my thoughts about replacing coal-burning plants with hydroelectric dams,
With coal burning plants, it causes emissions of greenhouse gases and may poison water with waste which affect human and animal lives and even the earth, but hydroelectric dams do also affect our live in a different way
Which is aquatic creature migration, quality of water, wildlife, and also human displacement. This can affect surrounding ecosystems and our communities, these dams can flood the land around them which destroys communities, forests and ecosystems, Fish and other animals may be killed or injured by turbines, with added sediments and nutrients than the water before it can introduced higher levels of algae and weeds which they can either be removed manually or introduce new species which eats them, water is lost through evaporation from the dams at an much higher rate than normal flowing rivers, lastly global warming emissions is produced from building hydroelectrical dams.
Hydroelectric plants are way more expensive than coal plants so if the converting is happening it may not happen instantly as there is a reason why we had coal-burning plants in the first place, it was more cheaper and easier to produce.
My thought is that if we are going to convert them we should do it slowly not instantly as if rushed many workers would lose their jobs and ecosystems may not manage the change so fast. So my final concluding is that we should but at an slow pace as with rushing we may cut corners and make things worse.
I recommend reading my analyst of this concern.
Sincerely,
Javar Hamilton
References
Coal fired power plants https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Coal_fired_power_plant
Pros and cons of hydro-electric dams https://www.energysage.com/about-clean-energy/hydropower/pros-cons-hydropower/
Environmental Impacts of hydroelectric power https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/environmental-impacts-hydroelectric-power