[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/EW-03-19-13-Problem-with-Coal.mp3|titles=EW 03-19-13 Problem with Coal]
Coal is by far the most plentiful and cheapest fossil fuel we have. Burning coal generates more than 80% of the world’s electric power and its use is growing steadily.
According to a study by the World Resources Institute, well over a thousand new coal-fired power plants have been proposed, with the great majority in China and, to a lesser extent, India. Rising energy demand is driving this ever-expanding use of coal.
Unfortunately, coal is inherently more polluting and more carbon-intensive than other energy sources. As a result, coal-fired power plants are the largest contributor to greenhouse gases associated with climate change.
We often hear the term “Clean Coal” used by politicians and the media. What it refers to is the use of Carbon Capture and Storage – or CCS – to separate the carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of coal or in coal gasification processes, and to inject it into deep underground storage facilities or otherwise prevent it from entering the atmosphere.
Coal is so inexpensive that one could spend quite a bit on CCS or other schemes for pollution control and it would still be affordable. Nevertheless, CCS has not yet been developed on any sort of commercial scale or sound economic basis. There is substantial ongoing research into clean coal technology, but there is no consensus on when or even whether it can be widely implemented.
In the meantime, the exploding growth of coal-burning power plants is a huge environmental issue that threatens to negate whatever other steps we are taking to slow down the warming of our planet.
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Web Links
Global Coal Risk Assessment
http://pdf.wri.org/global_coal_risk_assessment.pdf
Coal and Climate Change Facts
http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/fact-sheets/coal-facts
The Future of Coal
http://web.mit.edu/coal/The_Future_of_Coal_Summary_Report.pdf
Photo, taken on May 26, 2012, courtesy of Jeffrey Beall via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.