In June, a state court in Georgia overturned an air permit for a new coal plant, saying the plant needed to limit emissions of carbon dioxide. Solar power is booming, but only provides a tiny fraction of all power.Įnvironmentalists stress the benefits of renewable energy, which is often more expensive than oil and coal, in saved fuel and avoided climate change, and have won some battles. Wind farms are growing rapidly but grid connection poses an extra expense, while in poorer nations antiquated networks struggle to handle the volatile power source. Nuclear, for example, is hemmed in by public opposition in much of the developed world, while developing countries may be geologically unstable, or else, like India, face a political leap to sign a non-proliferation treaty which grants access to imported uranium. FUTUREĭilemmas of choice, to balance competing benefits and tradeoffs, have left the world’s energy future wide open. Ukraine is a case in point, now switching to domestic coal after neighboring Russia halted gas supplies in a price dispute two years ago.
Meanwhile, industrialized nations want to avoid over-dependence on imported, cleaner gas, given security of supply concerns. “It doesn’t paint a very good picture of the future for carbon emissions but there is no other real choice - coal is one of the few fuel sources which has a real capacity to expand,” said Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities research at Merrill Lynch. The Kent camp protesters aim to try and shut on Saturday the existing coal-fired power station which is slated for replacement, owned by the UK arm of German utility E.ON.ĭespite environmentalists’ concerns, energy companies say they are racing to meet demand for coal, especially in developing countries where the fuel is cheap and plentiful even in a year where coal price rises have outstripped those of oil. The Camp for Climate Action in Kingsnorth, Kent, has so far recruited about 600 people, organizers say, and joins four similar protests worldwide this year, targeting the coal industry in Australia, Germany and North America. “You’ve got to say - ‘Right, here’s the line in the sand, we’re going to stop it here because it’s madness to continue’,” said Connor O’Brien, spokesman for protesters against a proposed new coal-fired power station in southern England, which would be Britain’s first for nearly 30 years. Power generation accounts for about two-fifths of global emissions, from burning fossil fuels, of the main man-made greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, and coal for most of that. For traders, coal is an energy no-brainer which offers a ray of hope for 1.6 billion people living without electricity.īy mid-century, the world may have an extra 3 billion people and four times the wealth but somehow it must also at least halve carbon emissions from its main energy source - fossil fuels - to rein in dangerous global warming, scientists say. An engineer stands on top of a coal seam at UK Coal's Cutacre surface mine near Bolton, northern England in this Apfile photo.REUTERS/Phil Noble/Filesįor protesters, the shiny black lumps of fossilized wood and plants are contributing to drastic climate change.