The Coal Dilemma: Good For The Economy, Bad For The Environment

Coal is one of the sources of fossil energy that's widely used by humans today. it was produced when land and water plants accumulate and buried during geographical periods transmitted by heat and pressure. 1/3 of the coal in the world was formed in the Paleozoic era while the rest was formed in the Mesozoic and Cainozoic eras. that means coal has gone through a very long process before it can be used by humans.

Coal has always been consistent as a source of energy for mankind. especially when it comes to energy sources for electricity generation then coal is the main global energy source used by humans.

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The three major categories of energy for electricity generation are fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), nuclear energy, and renewable energy sources. Their use for electricity generation continues to increase in both absolute and relative terms: in 2017, fossil fuels generated 64.5% of worldwide electricity, compared with 61.9% in 1990. Access to reliable electricity is vital for human wellbeing. Coal generates nearly 40% of the world's electricity, close to its highest share in decades

When it comes to the Levelised cost of electricity, Coal can be classified as cheaper than energy sources such as nuclear and gas. so it's not surprising that coal is the main energy source for electricity

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We certainly need to be realistic that in today's industrial era, the need for abundant and cheap energy is an important matter. and consider that coal supplies are more abundant compared to other fossil energies is also the main factor why coal is in demand.

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As coal reserves are found across the globe, the largest coal-producing regions are not confined to one region – the top five hard coal producers are China, India, USA, Indonesia, and Australia. Most coal production is actually used in the country in which it was produced. What is the amount of world coal reserves? As of December 31, 2016, estimates of total world proved recoverable reserves of coal were about 1,144 billion short tons (or about 1.14 trillion short tons), and five countries had about 75% of the world's proved coal reserves. The world has proven reserves equivalent to 133.1 times its annual consumption. This means it has about 133 years of coal left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves

So, Economically, the use of coal is more profitable than other fossil energy sources.

However, coal has a big weakness to our environment, coal occupies the first position as one of the fossil energies that emit the most Co2. and it's not good for our environment if the use of coal becomes more massive.

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Coal combustion releases the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) during combustion. Coal-fired power plants release more greenhouse gases per unit of energy produced than any other electricity source

This also makes most countries in the world commit to reduce and ultimately endeavor to leave coal as a source of energy as a whole.

Based on 2016 data, the top 5 coal-consuming countries in the world are China, India, USA, Japan, and Russia.

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Of the five countries, the USA is one of the countries that are most trying and looks serious in reducing coal as their energy source. This is evidenced by their declining position to third place as a country that uses coal as an energy source. whereas previously in 2014 they were in the second position after China. now that position is held by India.

The same thing is seen in Russia, which is also experiencing a downward trend in coal consumption as their energy source.

The latest 2019 data contained in an article statista.com Regarding the top countries consuming coal as their energy source, it shows that Russia has dropped to the sixth position as a country that consumes coal as an energy source. and the fifth position is taken over by South Africa, while the other positions remain the same where China and India still dominate coal consumption in the world today. and the trend is rising up.

In fact, statistically, there is a decrease in coal use occurring in Europe and the United States, but it tends to increase in Asian countries such as China and India. Moreover, China is one of the world's economies that is growing rapidly today and is also the largest coal-producing country in the world, so it's no wonder they need coal energy which is relatively cheap and abundant for their industry. and it's a realistic option for China.

However, the Chinese government intends to reduce the use of coal as their energy source. they are targeting to be free from fossil energy or neutral carbon in the next 2060 as well. India, on the other hand, is the second most coal-using country, setting a faster target than China for being carbon neutral by 2050.

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The economic interests of coal and the interests of a better environment are a dilemma for countries in the world. especially developing countries that need abundant and cheap energy sources to support their growing economies. this issue has also been highlighted by Robert F. Ichord, Jr. which is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center, which highlighted efforts and campaigns to reduce the use of coal will have an impact on developing countries such as in Southeast Asia and South Asia which still use coal as their energy source. Of course, this is without reason, the cheap price of coal so that it can be affordable by the people of these countries is a major consideration. Moreover, the development of renewable energy infrastructures such as solar energy and hydropower requires a large investment and it's quite difficult for those countries to implement.

On the other hand, countries such as Australia, Indonesia, USA and Russia which are the top five coal exporting countries must also be willing to lose their income from coal exports. and Indonesia is probably the one who will be greatly affected by this because apart from being a developing country, the limited infrastructure to support renewable energy is also inadequate, this is in contrast to Russia which is also a developing country but is technologically ready to reduce their production and use of coal.

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Conclusion

Efforts to reduce to eliminate the use of coal as an energy source are quite difficult to do. On the one hand, coal provides good economic benefits to industry, especially for developing countries, but on the other hand, the use of coal, which is one of the fossil energies that produce the most carbon emissions that endanger our environment.

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References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal
• https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
• https://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/where-does-our-electricity-come-from.aspx
• https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-worlds-coal-power-plants
• http://www.coaleducation.org/q%26a/10_reasons_why_coal.htm#:~:text=Kentucky%20Regulatory%20Agencies-,10%20reasons%20why%20coal%20is%20a%20good%20energy%20source%3A,nuclear%2C%20natural%20gas%2C%20oil.
• https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/24/climate/coal-global-warming.html
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/coal-demand-asia-decarbonize-emissions/
• https://www.worldcoal.org/coal-facts/what-is-coal-where-is-it-found/
• https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/coal/how-much-coal-is-left.php
• https://www.worldometers.info/coal/
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/265510/countries-with-the-largest-coal-consumption/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coal/us-coal/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coal/russia-coal/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coal/india-coal/
• https://www.worldometers.info/coal/china-coal/
• https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/americas-coal-consumption-entered-free-fall-2019/604543/
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-23/china-wants-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2060-is-that-even-possible
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-17/india-considers-net-zero-goal-around-2050-a-decade-before-china
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/coal-demand-asia-decarbonize-emissions/
• https://www.worldstopexports.com/coal-exports-country/
• https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=836
• https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/energysource/the-climate-and-equity-dilemma-bending-the-coal-curve-in-south-and-southeast-asia/