Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that there has been much debate about the best way to achieve energy independence in the West in recent years. Rising fossil fuel costs have made the issue of environmental sustainability even more acute. The writer discusses that in particular, volatility in the natural gas market has made coal a much more attractive means for producing electricity, at least from an economic standpoint. The writer discusses whether or not coal power can ever become a sustainable technology.

Tags:coal, sustainability, environment

Abstract
The paper discusses how the use of fossil fuels is a threat to sustainability if current usage patterns continue to harm the environment and rely on an uncertain long-term supply. The paper looks at the use of coal and relates that there is an increased potential to exploit this abundant resource in a manner that is sustainable, produces minimal harm to the environment and meets growing energy demands until non fossil fuel energy resources can be developed. The paper discusses potential source material for this research.

Outline:
The Potential of Coal for Meeting Future Energy Needs
Research Guide: Probing the Issue
Potential Biases: Navigating Personal Values and Issues
Potential Source Material for This Research

From the Paper
"One of the most significant environmental issues affecting long-term sustainability is the world's extensive energy use. Despite claims that the world is dependent on oil, the situation is much more pervasive than that. In fact, modern societies are entirely dependent on energy. Fossil fuels are one of the most effective energy resources that civilization currently exploits. Technology and infrastructure for utilizing these resources are far more extensive than for any other kind of energy resource, currently making fossil fuels the preferred choice."

Tags:fossil, fuels, resources, sustainability, technology, infrastructure

Abstract
The paper explores whether or not coal power can ever become a sustainable technology. The paper defines sustainability and explains that although coal power plants pollute the atmosphere, new technologies have made the idea of environmentally responsible coal power plants a possibility. The paper concludes that the use of coal in hyper-efficient gasification plants seems to be a viable, sustainable option.

From the Paper
"First we must articulate a conception of sustainability, a definition if you will. Conclusions about coal's sustainability will be largely arbitrary unless we establish from the outset a clear sense of what it means to be sustainable. This will provide the framework with which coal's potential to be a sustainable option can be evaluated. It is naive to think that sustainability is defined as an either-or proposition. Too often, definitions of sustainability imagine that a process, technology, or ideology is either sustainable or it is not."

Tags:gasification, power, plant, pollution, efficiency, fossil, fuel

Abstract
The paper explores how we can meet growing energy demand even as existing supplies of oil and natural gas face an uncertain future. The paper looks at a possibility often overlooked that is the use of coal, the most abundant fossil fuel but also potentially the most dangerous to the environment. The paper reveals, however, that with recent technological developments in cleaner burning coal facilities, there is an increased potential to exploit this abundant resource in a manner that is sustainable, produces minimal harm to the environment, and can meet growing energy demands until non fossil fuel energy resources can be developed.

From the Paper
"One of the most significant environmental issues affecting long-term sustainability is the world's extensive energy use. Despite claims that the world is dependent on oil, the situation is much more pervasive than that. In fact, modern societies are entirely dependent on energy. Fossil fuels are one of the most effective energy resources that civilization..."

Tags:energy, environment, technology

Abstract
In this article, the writer builds on previous research and examines the potential that coal can be employed to generate power in a sustainable fashion. The final conclusion of the discussion is mixed. The writer maintains that coal's environmental record is not good, and even technical "fixes" can only improve the situation somewhat. Nevertheless, coal can be used in a surprisingly efficient and sustainable manner that warrants a closer look.

Tags:coal, energy, environment

Abstract
This paper assesses the costs and benefits to the environment of using nuclear energy. The paper explains that while theoretically nuclear energy is a clean, effective, efficient and almost inexhaustible form of power, public opinion is widely opposed to its usage. However, the author of this paper maintains that that opposition is based on misinformation. The paper explains the process of creating and harnessing nuclear energy, showing how it is nearly identical -- save the source of the heat -- to that used by geothermal energy plants and many coal-burning plants. The paper further demonstrates that nuclear energy is actually the safest, most environmentally-sound energy option and concludes that more should be done to support its adoption as America's primary sustainable energy source.

From the Paper
"The public's apprehensive assessment of nuclear power remains its most serious obstacle. Although disasters and fatalities have been fairly limited, the potential for catastrophe is not overlooked by anyone. The Three Mile Island disaster seems to be burned into public perception regarding any discussion of nuclear energy (Beder, 224-5). Additionally, radioactive nuclear waste cannot be dumped back into the environment: it remains dangerous for thousands of years. As a consequence, collecting, relocating, and storing this waste presents environmental risks that most other energy resources are not associated with. Naturally, if proper precautions are taken and no mishaps occur; nuclear power is perhaps the most cost effective, cleanest, safest, and sustainable form of energy society has to offer. However, all rests upon its appropriate handling and the public's trust in its distributors."

Tags:energy, recycling, sustainable, global, warming, nuclear, coal, feul, environmentalism, power

Abstract
This paper discusses America's ever-increasing consumption of oil and the depletion of fossil fuels, oil, coal and natural gas. The paper presents a resource sustainability plan to aid in the problem of depleting fossil fuels. The paper also discusses the necessity for a plan to reduce the problem of depleting fossil fuels and how such a plan can be implemented. A table of action steps to implement the plan is included in the paper.

From the Paper
"The exhaustion of our environment's coal, oil and natural gas resources is a horrifying but inevitable event if we do not change our current way of life. Wind power, hydropower, solar power and biomass fermentation are only some of the alternative fuel sources available to us and the government's researchers are finding other sources every day. After the initial cost of converting to the use of alternative fuel sources the cost is virtually non-existent. Wind, flowing water, the sun's rays are all freely offered from our environment. We simply need to take the initial step towards a change and the benefits will be endless."

Tags:toxins, energy, oil, coal

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that given its wide range of resources, it looks as if Zimbabwe should be able to support sustained economic growth, for it has a significant percentage of the world's known reserves of metallurgical-grade chromite, as well as mineral deposits that include coal, asbestos, copper, nickel, gold, platinum, and iron ore. Yet, the writer points out that this once prosperous nation now has an inflation that exceeds 1,000 percent, the majority of the population are unemployed and millions are starving, all of which makes Zimbabwe one of the world's more troubled countries. The writer concludes that with rich mineral assets, an educated workforce, and beautiful natural wonders, Zimbabwe seemed to have the best chance to be an African success story, however the land reform policies have devastated the country.

From the Paper
"Inflation is now so high that low-wage workers cannot afford to feed their families. For example, a unionized farm worker earns a minimum wage of $1.3 million Zimbabwean, or about $6 U.S. a month, which will buy a half a chicken and fries at a fast-food restaurant in Harare. Makumbe predicts that the population is being squeezed so dramatically by the collapse of the economy that there will soon be popular uprising against Mugabe. Most political analysts caution that even if Mugabe left power immediately, the recovery of Zimbabwe is going to be a long and difficult process because the very foundation of the economy has been destroyed. Moreover, it is now unclear who owns the farmland, which used to be Zimbabwe's most productive asset. This, together with the fact that the government has been frantically borrowing and printing money to pay its debts, a leading horary economist has noted that Zimbabwe's eventual reconstruction could take decades."

Tags:Mugabe, growth, mismanagement, power