Coal Is Energy King, And Nothing Could Be Worse

By Douglas McIntyre  •  August 16, 2024
Tom Fisk Pexels

According to the think tank Ember, coal was the largest source of electricity generation, accounting for about a third of the market. Coal produces nitrogen oxides, which cause smog and acid rain. It can also attack and irritate lung tissue and sicken people with chronic respiratory diseases. Coal also produces particulate matter, which is a primary cause of dirt, smoke, and ash. 

Coal production continues to rise sharply. Bloomberg reports, “Even as temperatures on Earth smash new records and scientists warn the climate is reaching dangerous tipping points, the amount of coal being consumed keeps on growing.” Coal will not be replaced soon because it is a critical energy source for producing electricity and cannot be replaced in the foreseeable future.

Alternative energy contributes very little to the global total. Hydroelectric contributes 14%, and nuclear contributes 9%. Since a reactor meltdown at the Three Mile Island location in 1979, it has been hard to get the American public to accept new nuclear facilities.  Nuclear power could make a comeback.

Bloomberg points out that India and China depend heavily on coal for their energy production. China is the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, and India is third after the US. China is working hard to create a green economy.

Green Energy Trouble

The coal problem is another example of how alternative energy has been slow to come online, which makes reaching climate goals almost impossible.

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