Coal: A Problem or a Solution?

Coal has a long history as the world's first fossil-fuel. Outcrop coal usage dates back to the Han Dynasty 2000 years ago and the use of industrial coal began in the twelfth century in Belgium. Today, around 45% of the United States' electricity needs and around 40% of the world's power generation comes from coal.

The environmental problems concerning coal extraction and combustion are evident. They include smog from particulates, acid rain from sulfur oxides, heavy metal and mercury emissions, groundwater contamination from mining, underground fires, and greenhouse gas emissions, among others. Intensified environmental regulation and pollution control development in the past few decades has thus been the resulting initiative.

Why America has to get off coal

With a strong focus on environmental renewables, recent initiatives have been to push coal out of America's energy future. Bloomberg Philanthropies recently donated $50 million to a Beyond Coal campaign run by Sierra Club. In the article Why America has to get off coal, Michael Brune of Sierra Club and Michael Bloomberg discuss the "untruths" associated with coal. Costs of coal are not exclusive to low energy prices, but include hidden health insurance and medical bill costs from coal-related health problems. Environmentally-permissible coal power plants, they argue, are too expensive to price out clean energy sources. Clean energy industries also provide more jobs and higher wages than the coal industry.

Coal is critical to America's future

A response article by Steve Miller, entitled Coal is critical to America's future, argues that backing away from coal is a serious mistake. The proper action is not to limit any source of energy, but to provide leadership which will push forward advances in environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions. "Coal plays a critical role in keeping electricity affordable", Miller writes, where more than 20% of after-tax consumer income is spent on energy costs. Coal also provides energy security against non-domestic sources; the United States has the world's largest coal reserves. Clean coal technology advancements have also seen steady improvements since the 1970s, and further research into these areas can both create jobs and make clean coal more affordable.

There is no question that initiatives can cause momentum shifts, and that research investments are hampered or propelled by industry outlook for the foreseeable future. The question is: how will we shape the foreseeable future for coal and clean coal technology?

Sources:

CNN - Why America has to get off coal

CNN - Coal is critical to America's future