Environmentalists Shocked By Coal’s Return
After over a century as the primary source of electricity generation in America, coal use was in decline. More and more plants were taken offline. Mining moved in the direction of zero. Environmentalists were thrilled. The dirtiest of all fossil fuels was nearly gone.Â
Primarily because of the electricity consumption of AI, Donald Trump has reintroduced coal into the mix of electricity generation in a way that could increase its share of fuel to well above the current 16%. Coal use peaked in 2007.Â
President Trump will open over 13 million acres of federal land to coal mining. The government will also spend $625 million to bring shuttered coal plants back online. Dozens of plants scheduled to be closed by the end of the decade could be open beyond that date.
Dirtiest Fossil Fuel
Coal is an unbelievably dirty fuel. According to the EIA, “In 2022, CO2 emissions from burning coal for energy accounted for about 19% of total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions and for about 55% of total CO2 emissions from the electric power sector.” That number will increase, but it is impossible to predict where it will peak.
The move back to coal and away from renewables means the US gets further and further away from its climate goals. That means that the world’s emissions targets will be compromised because the US is the largest producer of greenhouse gases after China.
Environmentalists have every reason to look at this as a staggering setback. And, there is nothing they can do.
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