Coal Mining in South Africa

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Dear editor,

I hope you take this letter into consideration. I am writing you this letter today to talk about my ecological issue with AMD (acid mine drainage). I think that we should not close coal – mining operations to replace them with wind or solar farms. Yes, there are many reasons to get rid of it but I have some counter opinions. In addition to the unwarranted expense, new coal-powered electricity generation will result in a small negative GDP (measures the monetary value of final goods and services) ,reducing economic growth by 0.11 percent in 2030 and 0.08 percent in 2040 compared to the reference scenario without forced coal. Also, coal mining improves the South African economy, expressive of impacts on export, domestic consumption, and employment. Mines have positive impacts and provide socioeconomic infrastructure including; roads, clinics, schools, housing, water and electricity. It lights houses, buildings, and streets, and provides industrial heat. It powers most equipment and machinery used in homes, offices and factories. Coal is the most used source of electricity worldwide, currently providing more than 36% of global electricity. And South Africa is one of the top countries on coal supply and selling and shipping it to countries like China, France, Spain, Poland, and Germany. And some ways we can make mining safer are: Decreasing Temperatures, service equipment, extract dust, increase training, prevent incorrect lifting, improve ventilation, close unused mines, and increased visibility are all ways to stay safe mining. While those are ways to stay safe mining you have to know the hazards as well including. Dust inhalation or coal dust is one of the most common concerns for miners. Inhalation of coal dust can cause what is known as “miner’s lung” or “black lung”. Miner’s lung is a form of lung disease. While the most dangerous type of mining are Rock bursts, weak rock strength and the removal of wide expanses of walls can lead to ribs or a support pillar buckling and exploding, potentially killing anyone in the area.

Well thank you for taking your time to read this letter, I hope you understand now The importance of coal in South Africa and how the only things we should change about coal mining is how we can make it perfectly safe for the environment and people around.

Sincerely, Nolan Ryan Whaley

Sources; https://www.miningreview.com/ , https://miningdigital.com/ , https://climatechangenews.com/.