Aquaculture Can Be Viable Replacement For Coal Mining
As a staunch environmentalist, it will come as no surprise to you that I abhor coal. Sure, it allowed the Industrial Revolution to take place (we wouldn’t have the Internet without it) but the time has come for coal to go extinct. At the same time, I have nothing but compassion for communities which have coal mining as the center of their economic base. I know that they are in no hurry to see the mines close.
What to do?
Aquaculture may be the key! The good folks at Worldwatch Institute have done a feature on the reclamation of coal mines for the growing of fish. Reclaimed mines offer many advantages:
- There is no risk of accidental releases into lakes and ocean bodies which would contaminate wild stocks.
- The mines are just sitting there. Converting them to active aquaculture sites allows for the creation of steady jobs and reliable revenue streams (no pun intended) for the surrounding communities.
- Because of the subterranean depth of many of the shafts, it is possible to grow Arctic species in temperate areas such as West Virginia.
And the list goes on!
If you’d like to learn more, I highly recommend the wonderful piece which the Worldwatch Institute has placed on their website.
Ingenuity is the key to solving our most pressing environmental problems. Aquaculture in reclaimed mines solves multiple problems at once and allows environmentalist such as this author to continue our unabashed movement for putting a permanent end to coal mining.