Global coal consumption is 8MT, same as 2012, whereas world population is 15% larger and also richer, it is absolutely on the decline as a percentage of primary energy. Coal is also unfortunately an essential resource for many impoverished countries, flying is a privilege that very few people can afford, and has a huge per-capita impact.
We should absolutely try to reduce coal usage as fast as possible, but it's more complicated. Stop coal today, and billions of people will die (the same people that would be impacted by climate change).
Also, it costs money, whereas taxing flyers makes money.
We are burning incredible amounts of coal 40 years after we started talking about climate change. I believe around 40% of global electricity is from coal.
We keep waiting for the windmills and batteries to solve the problem, while kicking the can down the road
Yes, coal is one of the biggest CO2 problems globally, and it has been for decades. Unfortunately, globally we are increasing its usage, well, because more people still need electricity
Even if you ignore climate change (which is, frankly, irresponsible at this point), coal pollution alone kills something like a million people per year worldwide.
Yes, this is true...and it's something I struggle with. On the one hand, I think it is clear that we need to stop using coal; depending upon a resource which replenishes at a geological time scale is categorically unsustainable, as is the mounting damage we are causing to the environment. On the other hand, I recognize that dropping coal will really hurt workers and their families. "The greater good" is irrelevant to someone who doesn't know how they're going to feed their children.
It would be heartless to just write these people off, but it is also unfair to future generations (and even our future selves) to continue mining and combusting coal as though we aren't aware of the consequences. Perhaps a solution would be to offer employment with the renewable energy industry to coal miners, and to give those who are unable to accept a livable wage constituting a significant portion (if not all) of their coal-era wages. This might require that assistance be provided in relocating, training, etc. Probably not cheap, but this could transition us off coal while treating the miners humanely.
Ultimately we have to get off coal. Denial of this fact tends to stem from one of two viewpoints:
1) Apathy, or the sense that this is a problem for a future generation.
2) The belief that the economy of energy will regulate itself correctly, and usage of coal will decline naturally as renewable energy becomes more economically attractive due to continued technological refinement.
The problem with number 1 is that the stakes are too high. Our health, our livelihood, our economy and our provision of food and water all depend on cheap, abundant energy; it is woven into the fabric of our lives. Even a modest reduction in energy availability due to supply constraints would be devastating. The problem with number 2 is that coal, as a natural resource, is subject to the tragedy of the commons[0]. The true cost of coal is far higher than what is accounted for in a simple economic model, and humans have shown themselves to be remarkably bad at estimating this accurately.
Absolutely terrifying to see those large numbers. Fossil fuels are just too damn convenient to replace. Even if some places reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, other places will increase their consumption due to reduced prices. Coal use, the dirtiest of all, isn't declining!
I still hope at least coal will be largely priced out by cheaper options. I say hope because I still don't see it happening.
It's not a distraction. We're two decades away from replacing coal, we could've replaced it today. As always, we're putting off optimal solutions for some solution that might materialize in the future while we slowly wean ourselves off of the stuff that's destroying our habitat right now and having visible effects right now and from which tens, hundreds millions of people will visibly suffer in the coming decades from what we're doing right now (no, I don't mean the poor Bourgeoisie in France, I'm talking about everybody in Africa, South America, Asia, the Middle East). It's insanity.
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