Coal

carbon sequestration 1UP?

A new study suggests mushrooms might be a key to natural carbon sequestration – removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and safely storing it in forests – even after the trees die.[read more]

air pollution's victims?

Thanks to a new analysis by the Health Effects Institute, we understand that nearly 40 percent of the world’s premature deaths attributable to air pollution (1.2 million people) occurred in China.[read more]

Climate Pollution via Shutterstock

Can natural gas provide a "bridge" towards a low-carbon economy? Some climate activists claim that fugitive methane leaks undermine gas's climate credentials. However, I think that they are making a mistake by demonizing the one fuel source that has provably shaken coal's hold on the global energy system.[read more]

W. Va coal plant

New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration reveals a troubling trend: Coal-fired power generation, and its associated greenhouse gas emissions, were on the rise as 2012 came to an end.[read more]

limited resources/shutterstock

Many from the “peak oil” community say we should worry about a decline in world oil supply. In my view, the danger is quite different: The real danger is financial collapse, coming much earlier.[read more]

shale gas/shutterstock

While this reduced air pollution is an unmitigated good, the long-term climate benefits of this historic coal-to-gas shift hinge on the ability to control the amount of methane leaking from gas wells and pipelines.[read more]

coal consumption and exports

While coal use declined at home, coal exports increased and global prices for coal fell, prompting some to worry: are the climate gains associated with declining U.S. coal consumption simply being offset by booming exports?[read more]

fossil fuels divestment

Calls in the United States for universities to divest their fossil-fuel holdings are starting to spread into Canada, where students and doctors are beginning to speak out.[read more]

US coal use and export

As coal-fired generation is on the decline in the US, American environmentalists have reason to celebrate. But a look beyond our borders reveals a sobering picture: coal will be the world's #1 fuel by 2017.[read more]

Shale Gas Drilling via Shutterstock

There is widespread agreement that shale gas played a major role in bringing U.S. carbon emissions to a historic twenty-year low in 2012. This should not come as a surprise given that gas-fired power plants emit about half the CO2 per MWh compared to their coal-based cousins. However, some worry that these climate gains are being undermined by increased coal exports to Europe. How justified are these fears?[read more]

coal plant

Utility companies that operate both coal and nuclear power plants rarely use the important communications techniques of comparison and contrast to help people understand the benefits of nuclear energy.[read more]

Coal mine via Shutterstock

The historic shift from coal to natural gas in the U.S. electric power sector may be stalling out, according to the latest forecasts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.[read more]

LA's projected emissions

Today the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Board unanimously approved its plan to get off of coal by 2025 and replace it with cleaner energy.[read more]

Coal power in China

According to new statistics from the China Electricity Council, in 2012 China’s wind energy production actually increased more than coal power production for the first time ever.[read more]

nuclear energy in Japan/shutterstock

Japan increased the use of fossil fuels for power generation 21% in 2012, following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.[read more]