There’s no such thing as clean coal

It's not an industry we should save.

 The dirtiest fossil fuel is on the back foot

Coal’s decline in the West has been made possible by three mutually reinforcing developments: government policy, cheaper alternatives and restricted access to capital.

 The science of what makes coal so dirty

The world can’t wait to rid itself of the need for coal. Without cutting coal use drastically, there’s little chance of hitting greenhouse-gas emission targets and avoiding the most catastrophic effects of climate change. And eliminating the stuff isn’t just about greenhouse gases: Mining coal and then burning it produces other toxins, polluting our air, water, and soil. What makes coal so dirty? To understand, we’ll have to don our lab coats and tackle just a little bit of chemistry.

 The World Needs to Quit Coal. Why Is It So Hard?

Cheap, plentiful and the most polluting of fossil fuels, coal remains the single largest source of energy to generate electricity worldwide. This, even as renewables like solar and wind power are rapidly becoming more affordable. Soon, coal could make no financial sense for its backers. So, why is coal so hard to quit? Because coal is a powerful incumbent.

Behind the Rise of U.S. Solar Power, a Mountain of Chinese Coal

Reliance on coal-fired electricity to produce solar panels raises concerns in the West

Coal and the environment

The coal industry has found several ways to reduce sulfur and other impurities from coal. The industry has also found more effective ways of cleaning coal after it is mined, and some coal consumers use low sulfur coal.

Coal Is the Most Dangerous Pollutant for Heart Disease, Study Says

All it takes is a rudimentary understanding of human physiology to understand that breathing polluted air isn’t a good thing for our bodies. But not all pollution is created equal, and new research shows particles released by burning coal for electricity are some of the most damaging to a person’s health.

Coal Power Impacts

When coal is burned it releases a number of airborne toxins and pollutants. They include mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and various other heavy metals. Health impacts can range from asthma and breathing difficulties, to brain damage, heart problems, cancer, neurological disorders, and premature death.

Dirty Coal, Clean Future

To environmentalists, “clean coal” is an insulting oxymoron. But for now, the only way to meet the world’s energy needs, and to arrest climate change before it produces irreversible cataclysm, is to use coal—dirty, sooty, toxic coal—in more-sustainable ways.

Environmental impacts of coal

There are numerous damaging environmental impacts of coal that occur through its mining, preparation, combustion, waste storage, and transport.

Even when it’s sitting in storage, coal threatens human health

... based on the significant levels of local air pollution from coal storage and handling that we have documented in our study, we believe that policymakers should at least explore the costs and benefits of requiring coal piles to be covered.

In Orlando, a mountain of coal ash evades EPA rules. It's not the only one.

Tucked among scattered pine and cypress trees near Orlando, Fla., a 175-foot-tall mountain of coal ash looms as a stark representation of this booming region's reliance on fossil fuels. The mound is what's left over from the decades of coal burned at the Stanton Energy Center, a sprawling power-generation complex nearby whose cylindrical cooling towers send curls of steam into the clouds.

Killer Coal: Just how bad are the health effects of coal?

No matter how you label it, coal is always polluting. In fact, it is the most polluting way to produce electricity. When coal is dug up and later burned in power stations, it releases massive amounts of pollution, damaging our health and contributing to intensifying climate change. Along with adding to greenhouse gas pollution, burning coal emits toxic and carcinogenic substances into our air, water and land, severely affecting the health of miners, workers and surrounding communities.

We Need a War on Coal

It’s wrong for affluent Westerners to inflict the damages of climate change on the world’s poor.

Why Clean Coal Is A Myth

While some policymakers support "clean coal," coal can never be clean. It is harmful to both people and the planet.