Global Coal Addiction Keeps Growing

By Shirley Siluk Gregory On November 28, 2007

Coal might be a four-letter word, but it’s proving to be an addiction that’s not only hard to kick but that keeps getting worse.

Last year, people around the globe burned more coal than ever before — a record 3.09 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to a new report from the Worldwatch Institute. That’s an increase of 4.5 percent over 2005 levels, meaning coal now provides a full one-fourth of the world’s primary energy.

Yes, coal is plentiful — moreso than petroleum — but it’s also environmentally destructive and the worst thing you can burn if you’re concerned about global warming. Worldwatch says you can blame coal for about 40 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, even though it accounts for only 32 percent of fossil-fuel-based energy.

So where did the burning of coal increase the most last year? It should come as no surprise that the answer is: China. China’s increased use of coal in 2006 accounted for more than 70 percent of the world’s consumption growth. China now uses 39 percent of the world’s coal; second-place, third-place and runner-up titles go to the U.S. (18 percent), the European Union (10 percent) and India (8 percent).

If current trends continue, worldwide coal consumption could rise to as much as 10.7 billion tons of oil equivalent by 2050, according to a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT researchers warn a “significant charge on carbon emissions” is needed soon to develop economically viable ways of capturing and storing carbon from coal. The U.S., they add, need to take the lead on this, as it’s unlikely that China or India will.

“A true reconciliation of the coal resource and the climate risk that it presents must soon confront coal power on its new home turf,” the Worldwatch report states.

Unfortunately, we’re not there yet … no matter how many “clean coal” commercials you see on TV.

About The Author

Shirley Siluk Gregory

Shirley Siluk Gregory, a transplanted Chicagoan now living in Northwest Florida, represents the progressive half of Green Options' Red, Green and Blue segment. She holds a bachelor's degree in Geological Sciences from Northwestern University but graduated in 1984, just when the market for geologists was flatter than the Florida landscape. Just as well, though: she had little interest in spending her life either in a laboratory or, heaven forbid, an oil field. So, of course, she went into journalism. After extremely low-paying but fun and educational stints at several suburban Chicago weeklies and dailies, Shirley and her then-boyfriend/now-husband Scott found themselves displaced by a media buyout and spending the next several years working as freelancers. Among their credits: The Chicago Tribune, a publication for the manufactured-housing industry, and Web Hosting Magazine, a now-defunct publication that came and went with the dotcom era. Shirley's always been concerned about nature and conservation (and an avid pack-rat, as her family can attest to), but became even more rabidly interested in the environment primarily due to two factors: the growing signs that global warming was real and threatening, and the birth of her son, Noah, in 2003. Suddenly, the prospect of a world that might not be quite as habitable in 40 or 50 years took on a whole new, and personal, meaning. Living where she lives now also helped light the fire of Shirley's environmental awareness: her hometown was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and beaten up again by Hurricane Dennis in 2005. That, and the fact that she and her family were vacationing in New Orleans until the day before Katrina -- and spent 12 hours driving home for a trip that normally takes 3 -- has made Shirley deeply appreciate how fragile our lifestyles are, and how dependent they are on sound management of natural resources and sustainable living practices. That's why she's become a passionate reader and writer about all things green and sustainable.

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