Coal mining has the following impacts on the environment:
- Landscape alteration: due to the deforestation conducted to clear the mining areas, which destroys forests and natural wildlife habitats. The destruction of the forests also promotes soil erosion, flooding and stirs up dust pollution which can cause respiratory problems to the populations nearby the mining area. Mountains are also "removed" during the mining process.
- Release of methane (CH₄), which is a greenhouse effect gas, and carbon monoxide (CO) which is a toxic gas that may affect the people and animals in the area.
- Water pollution: Sulfuric acid is formed when coal is exposed to the air and water, this acid washes down heavy metals, such as copper, lead, or mercury, which acidifies and pollutes the local streams and water supplies.
Coal is considered a fossil fuel because it was formed out of the remains of forests that grew on swamp areas during the Carboniferous era (350 million years ago). Successive layers of plants were later covered by dirt and water, which stopped their decaying process. With the eras, the weight of the layers above them, and the heat produced a series of chemical and physical changes that allowed the plant remains to become coal.