Coal is being phased out because of what reasons?

Coal is being phased out because of what reasons?

• A. It has no environmental impact
• B. It is renewable
• C. It is inexpensive to extract
• D. It is dangerous to mine and contributes to air pollution

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that coal is phased out mainly because of its safety and environmental costs. Mining coal can be dangerous for workers, with risks of accidents and long-term health problems like lung disease. Burning coal also releases many pollutants into the air—tiny particles that harm lungs, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that cause smog and acid rain, mercury that can enter the food chain, and large amounts of CO2 that drive climate change. These health and environmental drawbacks motivate a shift to cleaner energy sources. The other statements aren’t accurate: coal does have environmental impacts, it isn’t renewable, and while some deposits are cheap to extract, cost by itself isn’t why it’s being phased out.

The main idea here is that coal is phased out mainly because of its safety and environmental costs. Mining coal can be dangerous for workers, with risks of accidents and long-term health problems like lung disease. Burning coal also releases many pollutants into the air—tiny particles that harm lungs, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that cause smog and acid rain, mercury that can enter the food chain, and large amounts of CO2 that drive climate change. These health and environmental drawbacks motivate a shift to cleaner energy sources. The other statements aren’t accurate: coal does have environmental impacts, it isn’t renewable, and while some deposits are cheap to extract, cost by itself isn’t why it’s being phased out.