Eco-parables for children: Old King Coal
Old King Coal was a merry old soul,Continuing my little series, this one writes itself. The great age of King Coal is a double reference to the geological time periods required to create coal and other fossil fuels (yes, they are renewable if you have millions of years) and to the age of the industry itself; the king became the father of the industrial revolution in his youth.
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Why is he merry? Because coal is king, comprising the single largest source of energy currently employed by humans. At least for now.
His pipe? Emissions, of course: burning coal contributes the lion's share of all carbon dioxide emissions causing dangerous climate change (as well as having all kinds of other nasty side-effects).
His bowl speaks of the great wealth of the coal industry. Or perhaps it could be the begging bowl that the industry takes to various governments to ensure ongoing subsidies and political support.
And his fiddlers three are the spin doctors, think tanks and lobby groups that maintain his position of privilege.
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Yes, I know it is Cole, or even Coel. Artistic license.
King Coal in Australia.
Paul Gilding: Coal crash coming?
Guardian: Mayor Bloomberg comes out against coal, backing grassroots opposition to any new coal plants.
NY Academy of Science: Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal. This is a very important paper that tries to put a price on some of the externalities of coal. Even without considering anything related to the climate, they calculate the true cost of coal to be at least double or triple what the market currently asks for it. Here is the abstract:
"Each stage in the life cycle of coal—extraction, transport, processing, and combustion—generates a waste stream and carries multiple hazards for health and the environment. These costs are external to the coal industry and are thus often considered “externalities.” We estimate that the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually. Many of these so-called externalities are, moreover, cumulative. Accounting for the damages conservatively doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh generated, making wind, solar, and other forms of nonfossil fuel power generation, along with investments in efficiency and electricity conservation methods, economically competitive."
Guardian: Mountain top removal. I haven't written much about this abomination. It is an abomination.
A few more important links about coal.
1. 2011 Harvard study estimating the annual public health costs of coal (excluding consideration of climate change) to be between a third and half a trillion dollars annually. If this were factored into the price of coal-powered electricity, it would immediately jump from the cheapest option to one of the most expensive.
2. Article in the Conversation documenting some of the many health effects of coal mining and combustion.
3. The numbers behind Australia's plans for coal expansion are truly jaw-dropping, as reported by Climate Code Red.
The Conversation: King coal dethroned. Some states about the decline of coal investments.
Yet as coal declines in Australian and US and European electricity production, that is not the whole story. Oh my.
The Conversation: Coal curse.
The Conversation: King Coal is not dead. Global figures. Coal is about to overtake oil (again) as leading fuel source globally.
Seen in a comment thread: coal is the cheapest fuel known to humanity, right up until the point when you burn it, when it becomes one of the most polluting, carbon-intensive health-destroying liabilities in existence.
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