Contents page 1 — A EU programme for the equitable Carbon phase-page 2 — The global Problem of climate change requires international solutions On a page
Only China and India consume more coal than the European Union. The exit is difficult: because of the energy security, it is said, and because too many jobs would be destroyed. The EU could organize with relatively little money, a cohesive exit strategy from Coal, writes Simone Tagliapietra, an expert on energy and climate policy at the think tank Bruegel in Brussels.
in a week, this year’s United Nations climate change conference (COP24) in Katowice, the European coal capital runs. The delegates will experience in the next few days a thick smog blanket over the city. Reminds you of how urgent it is, on a clean energy production.
Simone Tagliapietra
is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins University – SAIS Europe, a Research Fellow at Bruegel and a Senior Researcher at the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
the latest developments of the global CO2 emissions show that The world is currently far from the one in Paris, all agreed to combat climate change. In the past year, the global energy is achieved in the CO2 emissions of 32.5 gigatonnes, a historic high. Preliminary data from the International energy Agency suggest that the Trend this year is to reinforce it. In addition, energy-related air pollution, such as in Katowice, according to cases, each year, millions of premature death.
coal makes up around a quarter of energy-related CO2 emissions and the environment is overall, the most damaging part of the energy Mix. The three main consumers of coal are China (50 per cent), India (11 percent) and the European Union (6 percent).
Only a few countries place their coal-fired power plants completely to a standstill
coal plays so well for a number of EU countries continued to play an important role in the generation of electricity, 80 percent in Poland and 40 percent in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Greece and Germany. Even the natural gas export Netherlands to produce 35 percent of its electricity with coal. Only a few EU countries, namely the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands, have committed themselves so far, their coal-fired power plants will be completely shut down. This must change.
Because of climate technical point of view, coal is the damaging most energy sources, even in comparison to other fossil fuels. A coal-fired power plant emits 40 percent more carbon dioxide than a gas-fired power plant that generates the same amount of electricity, and 20 percent more than an oil power plant. Or, in other words: coal for 75 percent of CO2 emissions in the European electricity sector is responsible, but produces only 25 percent of our electricity. Electricity generation makes up a quarter of the total CO2 emissions in Europe. If you will be environmentally friendly, will help to make other sectors more environmentally friendly. The Decarbonisation of electricity production is essential. Finally, a transition to electric cars is of little value if we operate them with electricity from coal.
coal-fired power plants in Europe are, in addition, for the largest part of the released sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and fine dust particles in the air responsible. These pollutants can enter the human body and cause health problems, from lung cancer to heart attack.