Final answer:
Coal mining negatively impacts the environment through pollution and can affect water quality and ecosystems. Mining practices like mountaintop removal can alter landscapes. Local economies are often hindered when coal is the primary industry due to multiplier leakage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Coal mining has a significant impact on the environment and the region surrounding the mines. The extraction and burning of coal release pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury, contributing to problems such as acid rain, smog, and various health issues. Furthermore, coal mining practices, particularly mountaintop removal mining, dramatically alter landscapes, affect ecosystems, and may contaminate water sources. Additionally, coal mining has historically provided employment but also led to economic challenges such as company towns and limited economic diversification, leaving regions like Appalachia struggling after coal reserves were depleted.
The environmental impacts of coal mining are not limited to air pollution; they also include water contamination from ash and potentially harmful mining byproducts. Processing coal also consumes significant resources, including water, and results in additional emissions. When coal is the primary industry in a region, it can hinder economic growth and lead to multiplier leakage, where profits are not reinvested locally, preventing the development of varied economic opportunities.
Overall, while coal has been a cheap and abundant source of energy, its full cost to the environment and local communities where mining occurs goes well beyond the market price, highlighting the need for proper environmental regulation and a shift toward more sustainable energy sources.