|
|
|
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 Gore launches second campaign... for Earth (7/17/2008) In a speech Thursday, Al Gore challenged the U.S. to generate 100 percent of its electricity from zero carbon emission sources within 10 years. Speaking at Washington's Constitution Hall, Gore said America's security, environmental and economic crises are all related, and that measures to rein in greenhouse gas emissions will make the U.S. stronger, safer, and cleaner. "The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk," Gore said. "I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously." China's CO2 emissions 14% higher than America's in 2007 (6/14/2008) China emitted 14 percent more carbon dioxide than the United States in 2007 according to a report released by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. China's emissions grew 8 percent from 2006. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions reach record high in 2007 (5/21/2008) U.S. carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.6 percent in 2007 to a new record reported the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA). Malaysia rejects coal project in Borneo rainforest (4/14/2008) Malaysia has rejected a $408 million coal-fired power plant near a protected rainforest area in Sabah, on the island of Borneo. China's emissions growth 2-4 times greater than expected (3/11/2008) China's carbon dioxide emissions are growing far faster than anticipated according to according to a new analysis by economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Diego. The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, estimates China will see an 11 percent annual growth rate in CO2 emissions between 2004 and 2010, two to four times the 2.5 to 5 percent growth rate estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Comments? News options News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
MONGABAY.COM
T-SHIRTS 
CALENDARS 
CANVAS BAGS 
|
|
|
