Eric Reece writes a very compelling, and wholly depressing tale of the mountaintop removal mining of Lost Mountain. In his account, you see the monthly changes of this mountain, and the effects this type of mining has on the people living near it. He uses many different arguments to support his view of mountaintop removal mining, all of them delivered in poignant stories told to him by natives of the Appalachian mountains. One of his major arguments is the importance of the old forests that have existed in these mountains since before the glaciers carved out lakes and valleys in the northern parts of North America. According to Reece, these forests are invaluable because they are the most diverse forests found in the United States and North America. The biodiversity of these old growth forests can be compared to that of the Rainforests. There are many species that are on the endangered species list, and many trees that cannot be found elsewhere. When mountaintop removal mining comes through, these forests are cut down, and burned. When the mountain has been leveled and drained of its coal, none of these species are able to come back, and instead foreign grasses are planted because they're the only plants that are able to survive in the wastelands caused by the mountaintop removal.
For me, this kind of abuse of our earth is a crime. Such blatantly harmful and unsustainable methods should never have been made legal. These mountains have existed since far before recorded history. What right does humanity have to destroy them for a temporary source of energy when there are other methods of power available, not to mention the impact this type of mining has on the humans, animals and plants living in the area. This abuse needs to stop, and soon, before the entire mountain range is destroyed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I completely agree with you that some methods that are preformed for providing energy should never have been made legal. The human population does not have an right to destroy what has been around for much longer than the human race for our own selfish, short-term needs when there is other methods available.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the arguments you made against mountain top removal and coal mining, however I think your blog would have more legitimacy if you had included the counter argument and then given your reasons for believing this process is a crime. Good points were made on the arguments for the banning of mountain top removal, just elaborate more.
ReplyDelete