The smog generated by burning coal gives the air a rather obnoxious brown tinted reminder of human presence.
>reminder of human presence.
Still not as bad as a plastic bottle on the ground.
I think a better comparison would be smog and acid rain. Coal isn't giving us the plastic bottles, but it does negatively impact us in much subtler yet worse ways than a visual reminder.
You don't inhale plastic bottles.
Unless you're a fish
If you think really coal pollution is invisible, try visiting China - which, perhaps not coincidentally, is currently rushing headlong towards a fully renewable economy.
What? I'm talking about a bad generalization made about mining, not coal pollution.