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  • Essay / Literary review of Something's Rising editorial on the dangers of coal mining

    The article Something's Rising talks about the negative effects of coal mining. Coal is a fuel primarily used to produce electricity and heat around the world. The coal market in general fits a standard supply and demand curve, as shown in Figure 1 attached. Market equilibrium maximizes consumer surplus plus producer surplus. The coal market is elastic because even though the need for coal is high, there are substitutes such as gas, fuel oil and kerosene that can be used. However, this is inefficient because it excludes social costs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe market for coal workers is different from the market for coal in general because it includes the social cost to workers, as shown Figure 2 attached. In this graph, there is a shift in the supply curve due to additional external costs to society. Therefore, supply and external costs (social costs) shift the curve up and to the left. Due to this change, there is a change in the balance. With the coal market graph in general, it did not include social costs, so it was inefficient, but with social costs included in the coal market, it is efficient. Shifting the supply curve creates an efficient equilibrium price and an efficient equilibrium quantity. (All this can be seen in Figure 2). The equilibrium maximizes the total gain to society, when social cost is included. The equilibrium quantity is greater than the efficient equilibrium quantity, resulting in total cost greater than total benefit, which is clearly bad. Therefore, coal consumption does indeed pose problems for society. The reason it is important to focus on external costs, particularly in the case of coal, is because they affect the social outcome. For example, when the social cost is low, people who need money will work. However, when the social cost is higher, people may need to reconsider whether or not negative externalities outweigh the need for money. However, it is also important to examine the effects of stopping mountaintop coal mining. If this type of mining were stopped, there would be a decrease in supply and quantity, which is not good from a business point of view. If we consider the effect on the market of coal workers, even if the quantity and supply decreases, we also see a decrease in the social cost. For the individual worker, it's bad because people can lose their jobs and they need them to support themselves and their families. However, for society as a whole, a reduction in social costs is beneficial. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayIn the reading, there was mention of a man named Nathan Hall. Nathan Hall was able to describe direct examples of some negative externalities of this type of coal mining. He said: “I have often been placed in dangerous situations. » (210). Another man in the article, Larry Bush, tells the story of a three-year-old boy named Jeremy Davidson, who was killed when a boulder weighing half a ton crashed through his trailer and into his bed. Jeremy. This type of mining is not only dangerous to humans, but it is also extremely destructive to the environment. Bush.