There is no denying that without electricity life can be pretty bland. Anyone that has experienced a recent power outage can attest to the magnitude to which we consume electricity on a daily basis. Currently, the U.S. relies on coal for most of its energy needs.

Coal is an organic based fossil fuel that takes millions of years to form. When it’s burned, it releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds into the air. Basically the byproducts of electricity are an accumulation of greenhouse gases that are attributed to climate change and respiratory illnesses. Mercury falls back to the earth in the form of rain and pollutes aquatic life.

Increasingly more people are turning to natural gas as a possible solution because it burns cleaner than coal or oil. Natural gas is also an organic based fossil fuel. It’s found in underground reservoirs or air pockets. After increasing reports that the extraction process, hydraulic fracturing, was contaminating water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a statement saying they were “very concerned.” New York City has even appealed to the state to ban hydraulic fracturing.

It is undeniable that living without electricity is out of the question. It was the most important feat of the Industrial Revolution and no one intends to reverse the comforts it afforded. However, we have come into a grey area where we must choose between the sources that we have. So which would you choose, coal or natural gas?