Environmental factors in the production and use of energy

Part of a series on the growing demand for energy, this report briefly catalogs the many ways in which production, distribution, and use of energy degrade the environment of living things. The character of each polluting effect on land, sea, and air is spelled out--e.g., coal production disfigures the land and acidifies streams; transport of oil (with spills and tank flushing) contaminates oceans; and internal-combustion engines discharge smog, lead, and noise into the atmosphere. Technological or social measures to combat each unfavorable effect are cited. Where possible, a gross estimate of the cost of ameliorating each effect in the United States is given. Even omitting a few hard-to-estimate control costs (e.g., thermal inputs to air and water), the annual U.S. bill for control would be on the order of $11 billion.