The Fast-Growing Energy Source Set to Replace Oil: Yes, It’s Coal
21st April 2013
The emergence of renewable power has had essentially no effect on the amount of carbon emissions involved in energy generation, according to a new report.
My, what a surprise! Aren’t you surprised? I’m sure surprised.
Acting against these mitigating factors has been the massive world upsurge in coal burning, particularly in China – though lately, Europe has also turned to coal in a bid to wean itself off insecure and pricey Russian gas. Coal is a very carbon-intensive way to generate energy, so all this has effectively wiped out the carbon reductions achieved by gas, hydro and nuclear (and the tiny additional ones from wind, solar etc).
So rapid is the growth, indeed, that the IEA expects coal to supplant oil as the world’s most-used energy source in 2017 on current trends.