Timothy Hyde, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
A century before the modern environmental era, experts realized that London’s dirty air was corroding its new Parliament building. This insight led to some of the first air pollution laws.
New coal power technology can’t meet Australia’s climate targets alone.
Coal power image from www.shutterstock.com
As Australia’s energy debate heats up, some politicians are calling for cleaner and more efficient coal power stations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Will 2017 be the year Australia sorts out its energy policy?
Power image from www.shutterstock.com
The goals are clear: clean, cheap, reliable energy. But no-one can agree how we get there.
Trump promises to revive the coal industry in part by opening up mining on federal lands, yet economists found that increasing royalties on public land would lead to more mining elsewhere, including Northern Appalachia and the Illinois Basin.
AP Photo/Steve Helber
One of Trump’s first orders of business on energy will likely be to reopen federal lands to coal mining, which would be a bad deal for taxpayers and the environment.
Can coal be part of Australia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Coal image from www.shutterstock.com
The idea of clean coal has been around for 40 years, but remains a pipe dream.
A political sign in West Virginia reflects the claim that the Obama administration, by developing policies to reduce carbon emission, was waging a campaign against the industry.
Vicki Smith/AP Photo
Low-income residents in Puerto Rico are fighting disposal of toxic coal ash in their communities. They’re also campaigning to shift from coal energy – the source of the problem – to solar power.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shake hands during a joint ratification of the Paris climate change agreement in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, Sept. 3, 2016.
How Hwee Young/Pool Photo via AP
Matthew E. Kahn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Although Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax invented by China, Chinese leaders believe cutting carbon emissions will generate economic and political payoffs at home and abroad.
The Niger Delta, where the rights of humans have been violated in the pursuit of oil.
Flickr/Sosialistisk Ungdom (SU)
Global indigenous and human rights movements that oppose the oil, coal and gas industries are charting a path for a fair and just transition to a low carbon energy future.
South Africa needs take a radically different path if it is going to make its economy more inclusive. It must start from the premise that markets are intrinsically skewed to historic privilege.
South Africa’s new energy plan shows a greater reliance on gas, solar and especially wind power.
Shutterstock
America’s coal heartland is delighted with Donald Trump’s election win. But like King Canute, he can’t turn back the tide of the global market push away from coal and towards renewables.
China’s latest energy plan would see coal power increase by 200 gigawatts.
Coal image from www.shutterstock.com
Queensland’s Supreme Court has backed the state government’s decision to approve the proposed Carmichael coal mine. But environmental groups have scored some key legal points on climate considerations.
Coal power stations are major sources of mercury pollution in Australia.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
Trump has promised to abolish Obama’s Clean Power Plan and back out of the Paris climate accord. But business could become a key firewall that won’t let Obama’s sustainability legacy die.
Trump’s energy plan will be fossil fuels on steroids combined with efforts to roll back limits on greenhouse gases.
AP Photo/Eric Gay
President-elect Trump’s objective on energy and climate is clear: Undo Obama’s legacy of environmental regulations and massively expand fossil fuel production.
Abbot Point port would have to be expanded to ship coal from the proposed new mine.
AAP Image/Greenpeace
Queensland’s planned new coal mine could impact the climate, the Great Barrier Reef, water, and local species. Yet still it has been declared as ‘critical infrastructure’ by the state government.
Lights out for Hazelwood, but other power stations can pick up the slack.
AAP Image/David Crosling
The potential shutdown of Victoria’s Hazelwood power station could leave a large gap in coal-fired baseload generation. But other coal power stations have plenty of spare capacity to fill the gap.