Impact of coal on our environment, health, and safety
In affirming my thesis statement about the impact of coal on our environment, health, and safety, I decided to use the information on an article written by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The article’s title is coal and the environment and was last updated in January 2020. The article has been written in support of the clean air act and the clean water act to address the environmental impacts of coal and other fossil fuel usage in the United States. However, the article is limited in information about coal and the environment for my research paper. I found the article to be lacking in many areas, critical to the completion of the research paper.
The article is not credible because it doesn’t provide the information that I need on the impact of coal on the environment. My thesis touches on environmental impact and fossil fuel, and thus the source must present something similar to my topic of discussion, which it fulfills by little. The effects that have been cited by the source to be present in coal are consistent with the information that I gathered from other sources. It does veer from the issue at hand. First, the listing of minerals present in coal enables a reader to understand what specific minerals, but fails to address specific areas of the environment affected. To understand the effects of any given thing, we must first understand its composition; otherwise, failure to provide such crucial information affects the intended message. For example, methane gas is released when coal burns have not been adequately discussed. The gas contributed to global warming, and it would have helped if the authors discussed how specifically, methane gas leads to global warming. The omission of such critical information dramatically reduces the credibility of the source and hinders conclusive research.
The article also lacks credibility because it has provided little facts. Its authors seem to have not done sufficient research and studied enough about coal acting as a guide. For example, coal mining is linked to an increase in water, soil, and air pollution. There is little mention of air pollution. Coal and other fossil fuels are the greatest contributors to air pollution, especially carbon monoxide obtained from burning fuel.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the primary greenhouse gas produced from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas)…
The article should have provided various facts regarding air pollution caused by coal. The authors would have mentioned countries that burn the highest amounts of fossil fuels and their rate of emission per country. The provision of such facts can entice a reader to carry out further research, thus learning gaining more knowledge on the issue.
On the other hand, the source provided invaluable information on ways of reducing the impacts of coal on the environment. Citing measures taken by the United States can be a benchmark for other nations struggling with the management of coal. The United States is among the largest consumers of coals. One of the methods mentioned in the article that can help reduce emissions of fuels is carbon capture. The method has also been mentioned in another source titled ‘safety protocols for coal mining” by the World coal association. The process proposes the trapping of emissions from their origins and pumping it into storage tanks. If the method can be implemented, it would enable nations to lack resources to use alternative sources of energy from coal and reduce environmental pollution in their country.
In conclusion, I found the source unreliable and cannot use for my research paper. The failure to provided facts and minimal information cannot be overlooked. It does not sufficiently address my thesis statement and negatively affects the outcome of my research paper. It is also specific to the United States only, which limits the scope of my research because the nation has implemented the use of renewable sources in energy, thus limiting information on environmental impacts. Therefore, I can only use the source for background information about coal and its effects but not for advanced research needed for the completion of my argumentative essay.
Reflection questions
Q.1
When choosing a source for a research paper, I look for one main component in the source. A source must incorporate facts. Research is not based on personal opinions but on well-documented facts. For example, saying that coal use has reduced significantly globally would be misinforming a reader. Coal, despite its known impacts, remains the most used source of energy. Major economic giants such as China rely heavily on coal use in their factories. A credible source should thus provide facts about the topic of discussion without showing bias. The source that I choose only fulfilled a little part of this criterion and can only be relied upon for specific information about the environmental impacts of coal in the United States and not other parts of the world.
q.2
Evaluation of sources in my research paper is useful because it helps saves on time. I will not waste valuable time trying to find additional information from other sources except for figures. I often spend a lot of time trying to get further details during research because of choosing sources with limited knowledge. Through the evaluation of a reference, I can prepare to write a paper without referring to others at all times.