Coal Power

Coal Power By Emma Huang

Death Rates Expected by 2020 Reaches 550,000 from Coal Pollution

 

 

People in China are excited about the high speed and large scale of China’s economical growth, but at the same time, we are worried about the global problem of environmental pollution. One of the factors caused air pollution is the emission of greenhouse gas, which results from the use of coal. Coal use, mainly for the generation of electricity, now accounts for roughly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Why coal is widely used to generate electricity? The main reason is that you can get it at a low cost and it is easy to get. Coal can provide usable energy at a cost of between $1 and $ 2 per MMBtu (Million British Thermal Units) compared to $6 to $12 per MMBtu for oil and natural gas, and coal prices are relatively stable. Though coal is inherently higher-polluting and more carbon-intensive, the low cost ensures the coal to maintain the competitive position.

China’s coal output increased from 1.3 billion tons in 2000 to 2.23 billion tons in 2005 making China by far the world’s largest coal producer (next largest is the U.S. with 1.13 billion tons produced in 2005). About half of China’s coal use is for electricity; and 80% of electricity generation is fueled by coal. Emissions from the coal can cause respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic diseases of the lung and heart and so on. An unpublicized report, prepared in 2005 by Chinese environmental experts, estimated that annual premature deaths attributable to outdoor air pollution were likely to reach 380,000 in 2010 and 550,000 in 2020. However, rising energy demand will continue to drive up coal consumption. In this point, we can see the rates that are increasing. Most of our diseases come from the air pollution, which includes coal powered electricity. By making less air pollution, we can have longer life and there will not have much people getting disease.

To maintain the development trend of China’s economy and prevent the environmental pollution, clean energy is in a high demand. Few, or even zero, emissions are a distinctive feature of clean energy, compared with coal, oil, and other traditional energy sources. We have to devote to improve China’s installed capacity of clean energy to stable energy supplies, adjust its energy structure and cope with climate change.

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 “Air Pollution in China Causes Thousands of Deaths in Major Cities.” –NTDTV.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013.

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“Coal SOEs Expand into Electricity Generation – Globaltimes.cn.” Coal SOEs Expand into Electricity Generation – Globaltimes.cn. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013