Even a wedge of natural gas has some value in this view, since it displaces a huge volume of long -
lived coal generation assets, which increases the odds that zero carbon sources will be able to muscle in later.
Not exact matches
One of the biggest challenges confronting
coal communities, besides the need to develop new economic opportunities, is overcoming the deeply rooted culture of
coal that has defined the
lives of residents and full communities for
generations.
Nuclear is still a factor of 600 safer than the main alternative,
coal, and still much safer than all other electricity
generation technologies (on a fully
life cycle basis).
Their study found that preproduction emissions «are not substantial contributors to the
life cycle estimates» — making Marcellus Shale gas essentially the same as conventional natural gas, which emits about 50 percent fewer emissions than
coal when used for power
generation.
If Germany, the embodiment of renewables, is failing to reduce its use of
coal for power
generation, why should anyone expect developing nations to not use
coal to increase
living standards in their countries?
He concluded «that the continuance beyond the year 2000 of of the modern way of
life in the highly developed countries of the West is virtually certain to depend upon
coal and it is therefore thye in, escapable duty of the present
generation to ensure that the
coal industry is cautiously and sensibly preserved in the meantime.
This would prevent disproportionate costs from falling upon consumers who
live in regions heavily dependent on
coal for power
generation.
What greater crime can there be than to dishonestly support
coal and disparage renewables at the cost of severe damage to the planet and the quality of
life of all future
generations?
But for India, as with China, we're going to have to bite the bullet and
live with a
generation of massive increases in the use of
coal.
It takes six decades between the time the decision is made to go with a particular energy
generation form and the time it's end of
life; committing to
coal or natural gas right now, today, is the less economical choice, and fiscally irresponsible, because by the time the plant is built, there will be a 50:1 ratio of cheaper solar / wind / hydro / geothermal / wave years of service committed to.
Hansen, a respected climate scientist and an advocate for next -
generation nuclear power, recently published a scientific paper showing that nuclear energy has actually saved more than 1.6 million
lives, by displacing
coal.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, however, increase immediately from the increase in
coal - fired power
generation and stay elevated throughout the
life of the policy.
The
coal industry has long been the backbone of the region's economy and the main employer of
generations of working - class families
living in the Appalachian coalfields.
Therefore
coal and other power
generation accidents = higher risk of occurring and immediate impacts / loss of
life