Coal

Coal is a combustible rock made of carbon and small traces of Hydrogen, Sulfur, Oxygen and nitrogen. Coal is mainly sedimentary with the exception of rocks like anthracite coal which is metamorphic. Coal is a fossil fuel and forms over the course of millions of years. When plants are alive, they remove CO2 in the atmosphere release O2. However when the plant dies, it decomposes and all the carbon rich plant matter turns to coal. The process when dead plant matter turns into coal has many stages. The dead plant matter turns into peat and then converted to lignite and finally that transforms eventually into coal, (Sub-bituminous coal --> bituminous coal --> Anthracite).

Unfortunately over 90% of the consumption of coal in the U.S supplies coal fired power stations. This significantly contributes to global warming and the U.N climate agency's recommendation is that all coal reserves should not be used in order to prevent extreme global warming. Surprisingly, there are no laws enforcing this and the U.S exports about 2 trillion pounds of coal each year.In addition, the combustion of coal in power stations puts toxic compounds into the air such as Mercury,sulfur-dioxide, nitrogen oxide, lead, cadmium, trace amounts of uranium,and arsenic. This causes severe health issues such as destroying lung tissue, chronic bronchitis, asthma, cancer, heart disease, and brain damage through the lead and the consumption of mercury via fish. I do not know how coal power plant owners sleep at night with all these health issues they are causing in animals and people.