AN OPEN cut coal mine leaves a massive hole in the ground.

The coal from that mine is burned to produce energy and that burning produces carbon dioxide which adds to greenhouse gases and hence global warming.

Once the coal is burned it is gone forever but the gases still remain in the atmosphere. The money generated from the sale of the coal is gone and needs to be replaced by creating more coal mines.

Coal is mined for, say, 20 years. The hole left behind will be there for thousands, or tens of thousands of years. The land taken to produce the mine is irreversibly ruined aesthetically, environmentally and for farming use.

There are no stated plans to put an end to many more coal mines being created. We can't keep creating holes in the ground. A solar farm taking up the same area will produce energy continuously, giving us renewable energy.

This energy will not be contributing to global warming. It will help to combat global warming by replacing energy traditionally generated from non-renewable sources.

At some point (do the maths, but it doesn't matter when) the energy generated from the solar farm will equal the energy obtained from the coal that came out of the hole.

The land used by the solar farm will not be ruined. The land can easily be returned to its former use if appropriate.

JIM BIRD

Mothar Mountain