One of Germany's pro-coal protests
The Nuclear Renaissance didn't happen. And, that has consequences.
Gas prices are soaring owing to heavy demand from China and other countries of East Asia. This has increased the usage of coal. The CEO of Total said, "Because coal today is a king, because coal is cheaper than all the other sources of energy."
This could have been avoided. Germany could have stopped the Energiewende, which led to the closures of ten nuclear energy facilities, with six more on the chopping block.
In Germany, the high gas prices cause an incentive to use lignite, which is the dirtiest form of coal. Coal is now the leading source of energy in Germany, after calm winds decreased the contribution of wind.
Coal consumption has also increased in the United States. (apologies that Bloomberg does not believe this info should be available to average citizens like you and me).
Coal consumption has also increased in the United States. (apologies that Bloomberg does not believe this info should be available to average citizens like you and me).
The impacts of climate change have become more obvious. Yet, the planning and investment in large-scale carbon-free energy has barely happened in the advanced democracies of Europe. It's faltering in the United States.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Organization and David Malpass, president of of the World Bank group, recently said,
"Transparent and competitive markets for electricity production, especially when combined with some form of carbon price or tax, would accelerate the transition away from coal. You can’t phase out polluting coal plants if you don’t have low-carbon power sources – such as solar, wind, hydropower and nuclear – ready to pick up the slack."
Then, further down the page, they said "Private sector investments will be vital in financing the cleaner energy sources that replace coal, but policy makers need to take the lead in mobilizing and incentivizing this massive ramping up of investment. Tackling coal is not something that markets will do if left to their own devices. It requires large-scale loans with substantial concessions." Hey, but I thought it was cheap to build solar, wind, and natural gas turbines! Didn't think that any "loan concessions" were needed!
I know that a lot of you all won't like me quoting this guy associated with the World Bank. Many of you believe that the private sector is the only sector that should make choices regarding energy and other matters in society. You detest the government, and you detest the international organizations even more! Current Republicans are the most sensitive bunch of whiners I have ever met!
Coal miners and coal plant workers are a lot more vocal than most of those who work in nuclear energy.
The consequences of the failure to phase out coal on a more rapid scale are dire.
