Jamie Kelly

The problem of acid rain will only disappear once coal reserves are all
gone. Discuss the validity of this statement.
Acid rain is created when rain water mixes with gases such as sulphur
dioxide. As a result trees, statues and buildings become weathered as the
acidic rain falls. Coal power stations are a big cause of acid rain but not
the only producers of the gases that create acid rain. Using alternative
energy sources is a way to reduce the problem but our heavy reliance on
all fossil fuels means that even if coal reserves became entirely depleted,
acid rain will still be a problem.
Coal is perhaps the leading producer of gases that cause acid rain. Other
fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil are a cleaner alternative to coal and
produce less sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Countries that use Coal
therefore have a greater problem of acid rain compared to those who do
not. China s one of the world!s leading consumers of coal and are
estimated to be building a coal power station every wee" on average. Acid
rain and smog are big issues in China with buildings showing signs of
erosion and the acidi#cation of water a$ecting the #shing industry. %hilst
here in the UK we have cut down on coal production we have still been
a$ected by acid rain with certain monuments such as nelson!s column
being weathered and trees being completely destroyed in the more rural
locations. f coal was to become entirely depleted, the problem of acid rain
would no doubt be reduced through less sulfur dioxide being emitted into
the atmosphere. &ut as mentioned, natural gas and oil also produce the
gases that create acid rain. 'he heavy use of natural gas and oil produces
plenty of sulfur dioxide and so acid rain will still be a problem. 'his ma"es
the statement that the problem of acid rain will only disappear once coal
reserves are all gone invalid because the problem of acid rain would still
exist even if somewhat reduced.
Another reason why the statement is more invalid than valid is because
there are ways to prevent acid rain with the use of technology and
legislation. (ere in the UK, there is legislation that restricts the amount of
harmful gases that are produced by factories and processes within
factories that remove harmful gases before the rest is released into the
atmosphere and turning the harmful gases into useful ones. )ulfur dioxide
can be converted into calcium sulfate to be used in industry and as a
result the harmful sulfur dioxide isn!t released into the atmosphere
preventing acid rain. n addition wor"ing in a similar manner is catalytic
convertors that are now mandatory on all new cars here in the UK. 'he
combination of these two strategies ma"es acid rain less of a problem
than in China which do not have the same strict regulations. Coal can still
therefore be used and its e$ects limited by the use of regulations and
technology. t can be argued that the use of regulation is not enough to
stop the problem of acid rain and that coal needs to be depleted entirely.
(owever the application of regulation and technology to the other fossil
Jamie Kelly
fuels would be needed even after coal reserves were gone to completely
prevent acid rain ma"ing that statement invalid.
*erhaps the greatest reason way to prevent acid rain is to use alternative
energy sources that do not produce the ingredients for acid rain. &y
investing in energy sources such as nuclear, solar power and wind power
there wouldn!t be a need to use coal as a source for producing electricity.
nstead of China using coal, they could use +uclear power and produce
more e,cient energy without the negative bi-products. Coal reserves
wouldn!t need to be completely depleted and could be used in a more
sustainable way without creating acid rain. .ven within other industries
such as the steel industry they could use an alternative fuel to burn that is
less harmful than coal and still produce enough heat to ma"e steel. &y
using alternative energy sources, coal reserves do not have to be entirely
gone for the problem of acid rain to be gone also ma"ing the statement
less valid. &ut in reality it wouldn!t be possible to completely replace the
problem of acid rain by using alternative energy sources simply because
the money gained from the #nding and combustion of fossil fuels is huge.
'he removal of that money would damage the economy hugely and so
this method of preventing acid rain is limited. (owever the problem of
acid rain would become far more reduced if more e$orts were made to
use greener alternatives.
n conclusion, the problem of acid rain will still remain even if coal
reserves were to run out. 'his is because our heavy use of other fossil
fuels such as natural gas and oil produce plenty of sulfur dioxide and other
gases that create acid rain. 'herefore other methods such as a reduced
reliance of fossil fuels and an increased reliance on renewable energy are
ways to prevent acid rain without using coal completely. ./ually regulation
and technology can help further prevent the release of harmful gases to
prevent acid rain. %ithout methods to prevent acid rain after coal reserves
are depleted would mean acid rain would remain a problem. 'his therefore
indicates that the statement of the problem of acid rain will only disappear
once coal reserves are gone is invalid.