The future of coal

But Coal is a major source of carbon dioxide , a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and other health effects, caused by releasing toxic materials and radioactive gases into the atmosphere. The environmental damage has altered landscapes and caused deaths (26 per 50,000 of population).

Massive coal burning began with England’s industrial revolution. As part of a special report NPR visits Coalbrookdale , the cradle of the industrial revolution and where the origins of coal power are on display. The story of coal is brought up to date in China . China’s seemingly unstoppable use of coal will soon reach a point in which it may have to import coal from other countries says the China Daily , despite holding the largest coal reserves on the planet.

As the fuel source is dirty there is great interest in finding a way to separating the carbon dioxide and sequestering it says the New York Times . Adds the paper “This could turn out to be one of the great engineering challenges of the century.” Many engineers are working on “clean coal” technologies such as making the plant plants more efficient, and by storing the CO2 produced underground but who will be the first to implement such a plant? Europe or the US ?

Clean coal: The New York Times
NPR visits Coalbrookdale
NPR visits a coal mine in China
Coal imports: The China Daily
Storing the CO2 produced underground: World Coal Institute
The clean coal roadmap
Europe’s Framework 7 clean coal program
US Department of Energy clean coal program