The reading passage covers three major points concerning several methods
to mitigate environmental damage when using coal. The listening passage,
however, clearly states that why these points are debatable. (good!)
The first point made by the author is that converting coal into a gas,
syngas, is one method to mitigate environmental
damage. But, the speaker challenges this by mentioning that coal
must be heated to generate syngas so that it still emits harmful emission.
Also, this method would pollute the water because impurities would have to be washed. Hence, using syngas is
may not be an eco-friendly method to substitute the traditional method.
Another point made by the writer is that using a form of static energy can
extract the pollutants. On the contrary, the lecturer asserts that this is not
plausible due to the fact, as that since static energy does not collect CO2, this method
does not reduce carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of climate change.
Thus, using static energy might not be a persuasive method to alternate the
current coal burning method.
Lastly, the reading claims that using fabric filters is one possible
method. The professor further debunks this by saying that this method
requires frequent maintenance and the filter must be changed regularly so it is
not cost effective. Therefore, utilizing fabric filters is probably not a
viable method.