Problem:

The geographical area of North Carolina has many different climates due to the elevation of the terrain. One of the most complex and delicate geographical areas in North Carolina is the alpine forest at the North Carolina and Tennessee border. The Southern Appalachian Mountains at or above 5200 feet elevation are facing a major crisis. The acid rain from coal burning power plants weakens the alpine forest trees' immune systems,
and then the balsam wooly adelgid destroys the tree by swelling the limbs and causing the pine needles to die. This pest came into North America from Europe in the early 1900s and spread throughout the United States. There are many biological creatures that depend on the balsam, Fraser fir, and spruce
pine. For instance, the black cap chickadee depends on the seeds from these trees for food all year round. This bird is only found in this area of North Carolina. Also, the northern saw-whet owl hunts the black cap chickadee to feed itself and its young.

One of the most despicable problems with the coal power plant industry is the use of coal from strip mines. Despite a 1977 act to reclaim the land, strip mining changes the terrain of the area and pollutes the water table with run-off acid from the mine. The strip miners really don't recover the land; they just spread the soil back over the gaping hole and throw grass seeds on the site. This is another ecological nightmare.

Another factor which is caused by burning fossil fuel is the production of carbon monoxide, which produces ozone gas. The smog enters the leaf cells of the trees and causes damage to mesophyll cells. This in-turn kills the tree because it prevents the cells from producing photosynthesis so the tree can survive. Other problems caused by carbon monoxide are lung disease, and the lack of seeing the view at mountain tops. Though coal burning plants
are not the only source of ozone, they are one of the major causes of the production of carbon monoxide. Coal burning plants also produce CO2 green house gases, which have caused the increase in temperature globally. This would change the climate of the alpine forest which has been around since
the last Wisconsin ice age.

Putting scrubbers into coal burning power plants decreases the amount of acid in the emissions. The steam that rises into the smoke stacks encounters water with crushed limestone dissolved in the water. This will in turn neutralize the acid and decrease the ph level in the emissions. The diagram below explains it in more detail.

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