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20 coal projects canceled as global warming fears mount mongabay.com July 25, 2007
"As recently as May, U.S. power companies had announced intentions to build as many as 150 new generating plants fueled by coal, which currently supplies about half the nation's electricity," writes Rebecca Smith. "One reason for the surge of interest in coal was concern over the higher price of natural gas, which has driven up electricity prices in many places. Coal appeared capable of softening the impact since the U.S. has deep coal reserves and prices are low." "But as plans for this fleet of new coal-powered plants move forward, an increasing number are being canceled or development slowed. Coal plants have come under fire because coal is a big source of carbon dioxide, the main gas blamed for global warming, in a time when climate change has become a hot-button political issue... The rapid shift away from coal shows how quickly and powerfully environmental concerns, and the costs associated with eradicating them, have changed matters for the power industry." Smith cites the cancellation of eight coal plants in Texas under the private-equity deal to buy TXU Corp earlier year as "an early sign of the changing momentum" for the industry. Nearly two dozen coal projects have been canceled since early 2006. Florida, North Carolina, and Oregon have all seen projects dumped.
Smith says some groups believe that improved energy efficiency could eliminate the need for new generation facilities, noting that the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy found Florida could cut its need for electricity from conventional sources by 29% within 15 years though energy efficiency measures alone. CITATION: Rebecca Smith (2007). Coal's Doubters Block New WaveOf Power Plants. Wall Street Journal July 25, 2007; Page A1 Related Limiting global warming to 2-degree rise will require $180/t carbon price says energy think tank (11/13/2008) In a report released Wednesday the International Energy Agency warned that a business-as-usual approach to energy use would result in a 6°-degree rise in temperatures putting hundreds of millions at risk from reduced water supplies and diminished agricultural production. But the agency said that limiting temperature rise to 2-3°-rise by the end of the century would be "possible, but very hard." Al Gore calls for “civil disobedience” against new coal plants (9/28/2008) Former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner, Al Gore, told the audience at the Clinton Global Initiative that the moment had arrived for civil disobedience against new coal plants. CO2 emissions accelerate 400% as world turns to dirtier fuels (9/26/2008) Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose at a record clip in 2007, according to the Global Carbon Project's annual overview of the greenhouse gas. Biofuels 200 times more expensive than forest conservation for global warming mitigation (8/27/2008) The British government should end subsidies for biofuels and instead use the funds to slow destruction of rainforests and tropical peatlands argues a new report issued by a U.K.-based think tank. The study, titled "The Root of the Matter" and published by Policy Exchange, says that "avoided deforestation" would be a more cost-effective way to address climate change, since land use change generates more emissions than the entire global transport sector and offers ancillary benefits including important ecosystem services. Coal burning may make food supplies toxic (8/18/2008) Coal burning is contaminating the Arctic, and may be affecting human health and polar ecosystems, warn scientists writing in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Comments? News options SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
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