The use of Coal is gradually increasing Day by Day
Following a reduction in the severity of the corona pandemic, global economic activity is picking up again. However, as oil and gas prices have risen, as has the coming of winter, demand for coal has soared in many countries.
The recent Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, reached an accord that called for a “decrease” rather than a “full end” to coal use. However, Alok Sharma, the conference’s President, had wanted to make coal a “place in history” before the conference began.
Former Australian Transport Minister Matt Canavan commented that such language in the agreement would act as a green signal for renewable coal production.
Before the Glasgow Conference, there was a consensus on a global ban on coal use by 2030 or 2040. However, experts now acknowledge that reducing the use of coal in the conference agreement could add fuel to the fire.
However, Catherine Hellenbrand von der Neyen, head of research at the climate think tank, Carbon Tracker, is reluctant to call the agreement the Coalition Renaissance language.
She thinks that even if the demand for coal increases again, it will not last long. She informed that global coal plant operations could no longer be profitable due to low renewable energy prices.
Gaurav Gantio, a researcher at Berlin-based think tank Climate Analytics, agrees. He thinks that the current demand for coal will not last long.
Although China and India have relied on coal to run their economies since the Corona, plans to build new coal-fired power plants have declined by 76% since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
In 2020, China accounted for 75 percent of global coal investment. However, they said last September that they would no longer invest in coal outside their own country.
Although the Glasgow Conference has not made a solid commitment to stopping the use of coal, some countries are bringing forward their previous targets in this regard.
The new government of Germany, Europe’s second-largest coal producer, has set a target of stopping the use of coal by 2030. According to the previous plan, the country wanted to stop using coal by 2036
Demand for coal has increased in Germany this year. One of the reasons for this is the lack of favorable weather for wind and solar energy production. However, between 2010 and 2020, Germany halved its use of coal.
Portugal completely stopped using coal for energy production. They did it two years before the target.
Another country that uses many fossil fuels, Ukraine, wants to stop using coal by 2035 or 2040.
Coal accounts for over 90% of South Africa’s energy. As a result, they are Africa’s largest carbon emitter. South Africa receives financial aid from several EU countries, including Germany and the United States, helping it transition away from coal consumption.
Air pollution from c
Coal-fired power plants are the leading cause of air pollution. It produces Sulfur dioxide (SO2) (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), etc., polluted gases which are linked with human asthma, cancer, heart and lung ailments, etc., and liable of environmental impacts, such as acid rain, global warming, etc.
It produces the most toxic heavy metals such as Mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, etc., contaminants in the air, water, land, and food pollution. Heavy metals damage the human central nervous function, leading to mental disorders, damage the blood constituents, and damage the lungs, liver, kidneys, and other vital organs, promoting several disease conditions.
Some health consequences of coal power plants are given below:
- Lung irritant, triggers asthma, low birth weight in infants
- Changes in lung function increase respiratory illness in children.
- Asthma attacks, heart rate variability, heart attacks.
- Inhalation causes coughing, hoarseness, chest pain, and respiratory tract inflammation.
- Ingestion and inhalation affect the gastrointestinal system and central nervous system.
