Coal: A Human History

The use of coal which is most common today started in the 700’s CE and it is the use of coal as an energy source. Though not officially used as a heat source until the 1100’s CE, many methods of burning it for protective smoke were used. While the use of coal for heat was cheaper than wood, the side effects of it shortly began to show. As the mass used of coal came to be, the price of it rose sharply as up to ½ of lower class family wages were used only for the minimal amount of coal needed to survive harsh cold months. London also grew dependent on coal and many signs were showing just why this statement was true. The coal smoke smudged the city and thick black clouds could be seen from miles away surrounding London. These plus other negative effects of coal explains how the misuse of coal led to more negative occurrences than positive and beneficial use it gave.

The first known civilizations of Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley, Egypt, and China all developed around rivers which were located in the plains surrounding a river. For both Mesopotamia and Egypt, using irrigations was an important part for their survival. This helped the control where the waters went and allowed the water to be used farther away from the river itself. Which meant more people could use the river water and later became a necessity for the people living in the river societies which developed much of their culture and society around it.

How were the needs for water and economic structures in some of the earliest of world’s civilizations cities and states met around 3100 BCE-100 CE and how did they get there? The cities and states back then depended on working waterways and architectural growth in order for their population to thrive. The larger the population, the greater the need for more easily and readily available water. When we think of a large population, we often think of the word civilization and if they had certain traditions that may have been passed down. Some of the first known civilizations were that of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt which were located along the well-known Nile, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They had traditions just like any other culture, but the Mesopotamians wrote them down allowing historians a glimpse into their culture and their need for water. By looking at these civilizations today, we can talk about the political and economic factors of how water supplies were regulated around Mesopotamia and

“The NAACP and its allies released a research report titled Coal Blooded: Profit before people.” This report tells how coal pollution impacts low income and the colored community’s the most. Cold blooded uses demographic factors to show proof that the coal pollution impacts the low income and colored community the most. Coal blooded states “that coal pollution is literally killing low-income communities and colored communities.” Coal blooded also states that emissions controls are not sufficient “Coal blood has laid the frame work for individuals, organizations and policymakers to make a transition from coal to other energy sources.” We need to replace coal with clean energy alternatives. This report shows how harmful coal plants are to the

Natural resources can be found all over America from dirt to diamond all the resources found help build our nation. “The great California gold rush began on January 24, 1848, when James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River.”(California

In Brighton, England on January 3, 1758, Julio Jones was born. I was born into the middle to lower class and lived just outside the country side where all the quarry and mines were. My father, Jacoby Jones, worked in the mines while I went to school. My father always told me that coal was a vital ore to mine when he was in the mines, and it helped make early versions of the steam engines. Britain was lucky to have lots of coal and used it to their advantage. Not only that, but because of the location of Britain, it had many ports for all the resources to be traded. People could use their raw materials like coal to trade for made materials. Also, in 1709, Abraham Darby used coal instead of charcoal to smelt ores which increased the quality of

Humans stopped moving and depended on a settled way of living. This settlement could not have taken place without an abundant water source and supply. . If you were to research this question further, you would then find that human civilization might have occurred in many different places simultaneously. This is because a small number of different river valleys existed in the Eastern Hemisphere. Among these different water sources was a very unique piece of land that is called today the Fertile Crescent. It was one of the first areas of human civilization because of its position next to water sources and the people’s ability to maneuver and manage their resources around them to control that water. The Fertile Crescent is considered by many to be the first area of a civilized society. “With hindsight, it is described as the first great transformation in human society. For almost 99% of our existence, humans have made their living by collecting wild plant foods, by fishing, and

The very first city developments were cropped up from agriculture in Mesopotamia. Propitiously the entire region of Mesopotamia was very rich because of the silt that was withdrawn from deluges. Unfortunately, the climate consisted of a dearth of rainfall; but when it did rain, it usually resulted in deluges and ultimate devastation of crops and homes. As said before, whenever water levels got too lofty, it would flood -- people were ignorant of the solution at the time. Whenever water levels got too low, the crops would wilt and the Mesopotamians are left with famine. Since starving was a constant dilemma, the people of Mesopotamia needed to find a way to control the water. It took some time for them to find out, but what they had required

After many coal mines were abandoned they were left unstable. Then after the mines were forgotten about, houses and towns were built above or near the abandoned underground mines. The mines would collapse causing damage to the above ground urbanization. Also coal is the biggest air polluter in the U.S. and causes much harm to the

Even people who do not develop illnesses from coal pollutants will find their health and wellbeing impacted due to coal's contribution to global warming. The discharge of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere associated with burning coal is a major contributor to global warming and its adverse effects on health and wellbeing worldwide, such as heat stroke, malaria, declining food production, scarce water supplies, social conflict and

According to Cambridge dictionary (2015) coal is a “hard, black substance that is dug from the earth and it can be burned to produce heat or power”. Before the 18th century coal was produced in limited amounts. However, after the industrial revolution the demand for coal has become more. Coal was used in various industries because it was cheaper than the other fuels (Wilde, 2015). Although coal developed the economy, the mines harmed the environment and it was unsafe to work in them. Coal has.

President Roosevelt said Every step of the progress of mankind is marked by the discovery and use of natural resources previously unused. Without such progressive knowledge and utilization of natural resources population could not grow, nor industries multiply, nor the hidden wealth of the earth be developed for the benefit of mankind. From the first beginnings of civilization, on the banks of the Nile and the Euphrates, the industrial progress of the world has gone on slowly, with occasional set-backs, but on the whole steadily, through tens of centuries to the

The people where becoming more aware of the connection between burning coal and atmospheric pollution. The people of london also became more aware of the negative health effects that where caused by burning the coal. The public’s demand for change became so large that in 1956 the government took action. The British government gave the local government authority to provide the funds to the people to replace the coal heaters. They replaced their coal heaters with more environment friendly heaters such as oil, gas electricity, and or smokeless coal. This change came with laws that where immediately enforced. These restrictions banned the use of dirty fuels. they also enforced the clean air act in 1956. The clean air act outlawed the burning of coal for heat. 12 years later in 1968 another important act was passed. This act called for factories to have taller chimneys, Taller chimneys would take the air pollutants from burning coal in these factories and release it higher in to the atmosphere. The act of 1968 stopped the immediate effects of air pollution but also created some problem. having taller chimneys created a problem, the usage of taller chimneys pushed the pollutants higher in the atmosphere witch in

From the beginning of the Bronze Age, due to the floods a change happened that caused many people lifestyles. It forced inhabitants; families were divided into villages, small cities. They became home owners and land owners. They became farmers even traders, trading between different cities. Export and import started along the rivers. People made their living from this change (Mattews, Noble, & Platt, 2014).

created by their combustion are essential policy strategies for stimulating the development of renewable energy technologies."