Is natural gas better than coal? I have a essay to do for science and the question is it city planners want to reduce air pollution in a large city. They are proposing to use coal instead of naturual gases a heating fuel. Explain why would or would not support this plan. 5 days ago Report Abuse Additional Details I mean is coal better than natural gas :) 5 days ago Darker Prairie Darker Prairie Best Answer - Chosen by Asker In almost all ways except basic price of the commodity (not full cycle price, though) and known reserves, the answer is yes. It's less polluting, easier to use, less labor intensive, able to be distributed to homes, extraction is less disturbing to the environment, requires less equipment and fewer injuries and deaths. In Denver, Colorado all three of the major in-town power plants have been converted from coal to gas. The results have been rather dramatic. 5 days ago Report Abuse 2 people rated this as good Asker's Rating: 5 out of 5 Asker's Comment: thanks Other Answers (2) Bad Moon Rising Bad Moon Rising Coal is the most polluting of the fossil fuels in terms of CO2 emissions and particulate matter as well as pollution associated with strip mining. It is also one of the most dangerous fossil fuels to extract (mine explosions). It is marginally cheaper than Natural Gas on a BTU basis, but Natural Gas emits 30-40% less CO2 than either coal or oil and it currently sells for about 25% of the cost of oil on an energy equivalent basis. Natural Gas is North America's future for long term energy supply! 5 days ago Report Abuse 1 person rated this as good Autumn Autumn Its been a while since i did this question myself. Coal is not a good fuel, on top of emitting green house gasses you destroy places to get to it ( it has to be mined), this wouldn't improve any air. Natural gasses could(ish), they produce green house gass too, but i think on a lesser scale. Most natural gasses are a danger anyway because they're pretty explosive. Try googling it, or looking on the new scientist website for excellent data. Source(s): Geography a level, life sciences undergraduate