The Cost Of Coal On The Environment

Coal and Related Carbon Resources / Economics

In a new briefing paper released today to coincide with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) meeting about the economic impacts of climate change, World Wildlife Fund shows that the short-term economics which are driving the use of coal to generate cheap power have created a "fool's paradise" that will lead to profound long-term problems. The report "Are the costs of using coal higher than the cost of cleaning it up?" outlines the fact that in the last four years, coal use around the world grew by 22% (BP, 2006) - a major factor behind the record 3% per year rise in global CO2 emissions (International Energy Agency (IEA), 2006).