The mere word “coal” evokes images of miners emerging from mine shafts with the black rock that fueled the economic and social change of the Industrial Revolution. But despite the scientific and technological breakthroughs of more than 200 years, coal continues to be an important fuel in the 21st century.
“煤”这个字会让人联想到矿工们拿着黑色的矿石从矿井中出来，正是这些矿石点燃了工业革命时期经济和社会的变革。但是，尽管在之后的200 多年中我们在科技上已有众多突破，煤在21 世纪仍作为一种重要燃料被继续使用。
Given the environmental and safety issues, why do we still mine coal?
In a world where carbon emissions are not taxed, coal is a very inexpensive and efficient way to generate electricity. And, coal is also one of the most abundant energy sources in the entire world.
既然对环境不利又有安全隐患，为什么我们仍在继续采煤？
我们生活的社会中碳排放是不收税的，因此烧煤就成为非常廉价又很高效的生产电能的方式。另外，煤还是全世界最丰富的能源资源。