Everyone likes a good bar of gold or iron, right? Well you might want to think twice about it next time you go to buy a diamond or some coal for a fire. Greenpace.org says that “Underground mines, which provide the majority of the world’s coal, allow coal companies to extract deep coal deposits. About 40 percent of the world’s coal mines are the more damaging strip mines.” and the mines are damaging our environment more than it is helping it.
While receiving many resources from strip mining is helpful, it is killing many different plants and trees. About every 24 hours one hundred fifty to two hundred species of birds, insects, plants, and other mammals become extinct, and some of that is from strip mining because of the damage it does to the species habitats. Also strip mines make it easier for miners to extract coal, in some countries, like Australia, 80% of their mines are strip mines to compress the coal out of the earth for other human needs. In order for a miner to extract the most amount of coal and other ores, they need to remove the first few layers of the earth. The process is very harmful from the start to finish, with
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In the process of creating a functional strip mine, workers not only need to strip away the first few layers of land, rock but also any plants, bushes, or trees in the area. And on top of that, for months after a strip mine is done, the land stays contaminated with harsh chemicals, which stops any plants from growing for a very long time. In the U.S. between 1930 and 2000, strip mining altered 5.9 million acres of land, mainly natural land, and forests. Many people know that trees help clean our air, and are a big help in everyday life. The more strip mines that are made, the less trees there are, and some people don 't care for their safety for air, but little by little, they are hurting our environment every time a strip mine is made to grab some quick