Remember the old days (a few months ago) when Western Europe and the US were telling developing nations (but not China or India) that coal is evil and must not be mined? 1
Remember seven years ago when Sierra Club's 'Beyond Coal' campaign, explained it this way:"The war on coal s not just political rhetoric, or a paranoid fantasy concocted by rapacious polluters. It's real and it's relentless. Over the past five years, it has killed a coal fired plant every 10 days."
Coal burning is once again on the rise reaching its highest level since 2014
Well today, nations worldwide are scrambling to buy coal to heat homes, and factories, and keep economies functioning. Reasons range from unwise decisions to abandon even natural gas and nuclear in the misguided push toward 'net zero by 2050' to the Russia-Ukraine war. Not everyone, it seems has been willing to shiver to prove their commitment to decarbonization. 1
Coal burning is once again on the rise reaching its highest level since 2014. Global coal demand will reach a historic high in 2022, similar to 2013's record levels. Coal consumption in the European Union is expected to rise by seven percent in 2022 on top of last year's 14 percent jump. 2
A wind farm is being dismantled in western Germany to make way for an expansion of an open pit lignite coal mine in a 'paradoxical' situation highlighting the current polarization of energy security over clean energy in Europe's biggest economy. At the end of September in Germany, three of the lignite fire coal units that were previously on standby were returned to the electricity market on schedule in October. 3
The government in England said that it will allow electricity generation sites in the UK, which had been given a limited life to operate until September 30, 2024, to address energy security issues if they arise. 4
China and India are planning to raise their domestic coal production by a total of 700 million tons per year
Although China is the world's dominant manufacture and user of solar panels and wind turbines, it also burns more coal than the rest of the world combined and has accelerated mining and the construction of coal fired power plants, driving up the country's emissions of energy related greenhouse gases nearly 6 percent last year, the fastest pace in a decade. And China's addiction to coal is likely to endure for years, even decades. President Xi made China's path to decarbonization clear: "It won't stop burning fossil fuels until it's confident that clean energy can reliably replace them." 5
China's strategy is designed to avoid the pitfalls that have hobbled parts of the US and Europe, which stopped investing in fossil fuel production and infrastructure before renewables were ready to take over. That's led to an over reliance on imports in some places, and in others a dependence on grids that can fall prey to the unreliability of sunshine and wind.6
China and India are planning to raise their domestic coal production by a total of 700 million tons per year. That is about 100 million tons more than the total coal production expected in the United States this year. 7
Speaking of India, it is no secret that the country has embarked on a massive effort to upgrade coal infrastructure and increase production. India has coal reserves sufficient for the next 100 years. Coal is also set to become the largest source of the country's energy generation by 2040.
The Indian government has authorized increased importation of thermal coal, removed all duty on coal, is reopening hundreds of closed coal mines, and has asked existing domestic mines to produce at unprecedented rates. The country has even canceled dozens of commercial trains to make room for the freight trains that carry coal. 8
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Summary
Reality must be depressing for green-believers. Here they are, after all this revolutionizing, they've installed more than a million megawatts of glorious solar and wind totems and it has barely made a dent. The world still stubbornly runs on fossil fuels. 9
Jeff Currie reports, "At the end of last year, overall, fossil fuel represented 81 percent of overall energy consumption. Ten years ago, they were at 82. So through, all of that investment in renewables, you're talking about 3.8 trillion, let me repeat that $3.8 trillion of investment in renewables moved fossil fuel consumption from 82 to 81 percent of the overall energy consumption. But you know, given the recent events and what's happened with the loss of gas and replacing it with coal, that number is likely above 82. The net of it is clearly we haven't made any progress."10
In Europe you see electricity prices that are approximately double what they are in the United States. This is because of the choices they have made for renewable energy and relying on a hostile nation. We're setting ourselves up for the same thing, which would definitely be a bad idea. 11
Recently President Biden said out loud and clear what America's coal miners have known for the past 13 years. Biden, Obama and their elitist cronies in Washington are determined to shutter our nation's coal fired power plants no matter the cost to he hundreds of thousands of Americans who work in the industry. "We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America," Biden said. 12
Biden's climate envoy John F. Kerry declared, "By 2030 in the United States, we won't have coal. We will not have coal plants." 7
References
Duggan Flanakin, "King coal-cat meows, I got a few lives left," RealClearEnergy.org, November 1, 2022
Vijay Jayaraj "The world is transitioning to fossil fuels," Washington Times.com, October 25, 2022
Michael Kern, "Germany is dismantling a wind farm to make way for a coal mine," Oilprice.com, October 26, 2022
"Britain to keep coal fired power plants open this winter," Reuters.com, July 29, 2022
Keith Bradsher and Clifford Krause, "China is burning more coal, a growing climate challenge," NYTimes.com, November 3, 2022
"China is doubling down on coal despite its green ambitions," JapanTimes.co.jp, October 31 2022
Jay Lehr and Tom Harris, "China and India not following Biden's war on coal," Canada Free Press, September 19, 2022
Vijay Jayaraj, "India's coal proliferation contradicts global climate drama," Real Clear Energy, June 9, 2022
Matt McGrath, "Global woe: the transition has stalled--the world is using more fossil fuels than ever (still 80%)," IowaClimate.org, June 15, 2022
Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology. He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.
