Friday, May 4, 2007
A worldwide rush to use “cheap” and dirty coal to supply power is threatening to impose huge costs to the environment and the global economy.
Weisweiler power plant , coal-fired (lignite), run by RWE. Near Aachen in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany . Lignite on conveyor belt. According to a WWF study, this power plant is number six of the worst climate polluters in Europe. (Credit: Copyright WWF-Canon / Andrew KERR)
In a new briefing paper released today to coincide with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) meeting about the economic impacts of climate change, WWF shows that the short-term economics which are driving the use of coal to generate cheap power have created a “fool’s paradise” that will lead to profound long-term problems.
The report — Are the costs of using coal higher than the cost of cleaning it up? — outlines the fact that in the last four years, coal use around the world grew by 22% (BP, 2006) – a major factor behind the record 3% per year rise in global CO2 emissions (International Energy Agency (IEA), 2006).
Source : Science Daily
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