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By making available the almost unlimited energy stored in prehistoric plant matter, coal enabled the industrial age - and it still does. Coal today generates more electricity worldwide than any other energy source, helping to drive economic growth in major emerging markets. And yet, continued reliance on this ancient rock carries a high price in smog and greenhouse gases.
We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move, cheap to burn in power plants with inadequate environmental controls. In this book, Mark Thurber explains how coal producers, users, financiers, and technology exporters drive this supply chain, while fragmented environmental movements battle for full incorporation of environmental costs into the global calculus of coal. Delving into the politics of energy versus the environment at local, national, and international levels, Thurber paints a vivid picture of the multi-faceted challenges associated with continued coal production and use in the twenty-first century.
Sommario
1 The Double-Edged Sword of Coal Fueling the world with coal
Coal's environmental problems
The nature of energy resources
Factors shaping the future of coal
Conclusion
Notes
2 The Quest for Energy Security
Coal: the first source of (nearly) unlimited energy
Coal as the OECD's antidote to oil insecurity
China's coal-based energy security paradigm
Coal and energy security in India
Coal and energy security in other developing countries
Will we run out of coal?
Critiquing the energy security rationale for coal
Conclusion
Notes
3 Tensions along the Coal Value Chain
Underground mining and its risks
Productivity improvements in mining
The politics of declining coal sector employment
Benefits and harms to local communities
Coal transportation
Coal power (and pollution)
The coal value chain fights back
The coal-power conflict
Conclusion
Notes
4 Environmental Politics and Policymaking
Incorporating environmental externalities
Drivers of environmental policy
Public support for environmental protection
Institutional capacity and environmental regulation: The cases of China and India
Environmental groups versus coal
International finance and international climate politics
The impact of environmental advocacy
Conclusion
Notes
5 Alternatives to Coal
Coal vs. nuclear
Coal vs. natural gas
Coal vs. wind and solar
Coal vs. cleaner coal
The challenge of replacing coking coal
Progress in coal alternatives
Conclusion
Notes
6 Policy, Technology, and the Future of Coal
Why has coal persisted as the "default fuel"?
Climate policy and technological change
The future of coal
Notes
Selected Readings
Index
Info autore
Mark C. Thurber is Associate Director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University.
Riassunto
By making available the almost unlimited energy stored in prehistoric plant matter, coal enabled the industrial age - and it still does. Coal today generates more electricity worldwide than any other energy source, helping to drive economic growth in major emerging markets. And yet, continued reliance on this ancient rock carries a high price in smog and greenhouse gases.
We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move, cheap to burn in power plants with inadequate environmental controls. In this book, Mark Thurber explains how coal producers, users, financiers, and technology exporters drive this supply chain, while fragmented environmental movements battle for full incorporation of environmental costs into the global calculus of coal. Delving into the politics of energy versus the environment at local, national, and international levels, Thurber paints a vivid picture of the multi-faceted challenges associated with continued coal production and use in the twenty-first century.
Relazione
"Coal pushed the industrial era into existence. Today, with global warming, coal is among the biggest threats. Mark Thurber applies his sharp analytical mind, the balance of an historian, and an elegant pen to this vital subject. Everyone will learn something important from this lovely little book."
David Victor, University of California, San Diego
"Thurber presents an overview of coal's role in past and present energy systems as well as key factors affecting its future in both developed and developing countries, offering a clear non-polemical analysis of coal's economic, environmental, and energy security attributes."
Howard Gruenspecht, former Deputy Administrator, US Energy Information Administration
