Coal resurgence threatens climate change targets

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/29/coal-threatens-climate-change-targets


Coal's global share of primary energy consumption has risen in recent years to 30%. Photograph: Phil Noble/REUTERS

Coal is enjoying a renaissance, with the highest consumption of the fuel since the late 1960s. The unexpected development threatens to put climate change targets out of reach – and much of the reason is the rise of a supposedly "green" fuel, natural gas.

The controversial use of shale gas in the US, where it now makes up a quarter of electricity generation, has brought down carbon emissions there – but the greenhouse gases have simply been exported elsewhere, meaning no net gain for the planet, research by the Guardian and other sources has found.

As gas power has replaced coal in the US, the excess coal has pushed down prices on world markets, sparking a bonanza for the high-carbon fuel. Last year, coal had its best year in more than four decades, according to the World Coal Association.

Its global share of primary energy consumption rose from about 25%, where it has been for years, to 30% – the highest level since 1969, long before governments made any efforts to tackle climate change.

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1. Haven't you heard Obama has a War on Coal and he

very well could lose Ohio because of it.

[NickB79]

2. We're not even reducing our carbon footprint with gas either: frack gas is as bad as coal

http://inhabitat.com/updated-cornell-study-shows-fracking-causes-more-global-warming-than-coal/

But a new study from Cornell reports that the natural gas extraction technique may be more harmful than even coal when it comes to global warming. The research team has updated their controversial findings with fresh data to support the conclusion that fracking in a major source of released methane. The study looks at how much gas is released into the atmosphere, revealing a significant jump in atmospheric methane. Methane, as compared to CO2, has the potential to trap over 100 times more heat over the course of ten years, making fracking one of the most environmentally destructive ways to source energy.