Smog caused by coal consumption killed an estimated 670,000 people in China in 2012, according to a study by researchers that tries to put a price tag on the environmental and social costs of the heavy reliance on the fuel.
At each stage of its life cycle, coal pollutes the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that we depend on. The factsheet describes the impacts of coal mining, preparation, transport and combustion.
Award-winning photojournalist Ami Vitale traveled with SIERRA magazine to Appalachia where coal is mined, to Michigan where coal is burned, and to Nevada where coal ash water is stored -- and discovered the Cost of Coal through the people who live with it. SIERRA asked people across the land to describe how the world's dirtiest energy source has disrupted their lives—and what they're doing to stop it.
The facts behind China’s coal consumption are daunting. China is the world’s largest energy consumer and the leading emitter of greenhouse gases. China accounts for half the world’s coal consumption, but recently adopted air quality standards and the growth of renewable energy suggests the country’s coal boom is over. This report outlines 6 facts you should know about the end of China's coal boom.
Emissions from coal power plants in Europe contribute significantly to the burden of disease from environmental pollution. The figures published in this report from the Health and Environment Alliance show that European Union-wide impacts amount to more than 18,200 premature deaths, about 8,500 new cases of chronic bronchitis, and over 4 million lost working days each year. The economic costs of the health impacts from coal combustion in Europe are estimated at up to €42.8 billion per year.