It doesn’t seem to matter how hard all the tree hugger keep trying to kill coal, they are obviously not succeeding at al. According to a recent report that was published by the Energy Information Administration, and in spite of continual fear-mongering from the Democrats, coal is still a primary source of power in developed nations as well as emerging nations. In fact, it accounts for the same amount of the planet’s electricity now as it did during the 1990s. And believe it or not, coal proves to be amazingly resilient in Africa and Asia, where there is an increasing demand for it.
Main Reason for Coal Resistance
This news is probably a shock for those who consider themselves to be anti-coal crusaders, but when you understand the reasoning behind its resurgence, it should not be a surprise at all. After all, coal is cheap and extremely available, which makes it an amazing fuel source for developing nations all over the world – especially when it is not feasible to use expensive renewable energy sources on a large scale. The fact is that for many countries, domestic coal resources are their one and only option to pursue the needed economic development.
Disgraceful tree-huggers might believe that the restriction of funding for coal will bring about wind farms and solar panels across Africa, but the actual truth is that many African nations were being denied their right for economic development. For instance, the Nigerian government is planning to generate roughly 30% of their electrical power from coal. The country’s Mines and Steel Ministry has earmarked the use of around 3 billion tons of coal. This is fuel that is vital for things like their power generation, their steel production, and even their cement manufacturing, all of which will have a massive effect on their economic potential. Unfortunately, with the World Bank and other global financial institutions seeking to deny Nigeria the required funding because of their pollution concerns, this dream could be as much as dead.
Is This Coal Attack Contrived and Orchestrated?
The real tragedy of this story is that arguments from the anti-coal coalition reek of condescension and duplicity. During a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) gathering, a former Nigerian finance minister named Kemi Adeosun question several developed nations because of their “hypocritical behavior,” especially since Western industrialization was driven by coal power. She was right in being angry, simply because technologies that are capable of reducing a significant amount of CO2 emissions from coal operation already exist. Not only that, such technologies are making the use of coal actually more efficient as well. But with all the crazy activists stirring up unrest all over world, this fact – among many – is willfully ignored.
Clean Coal Technology
The fact is that High efficiency, low emission technology (HELE) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are available to reduce the toxins of coal emissions. This will help countries who are very reliant on coal to find a new healthy balance between environmental protection and power needs. And since President Trump has been in office, the US has become as the obvious leader in the promotion of these vital technologies.
The United States government is bucking against the rest of the developed world by introducing the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) initiative which was initially proposed by Secretary of Energy Rick Perry a year ago. This is in addition to the multilateral effort of ensuring that CCS and HELE technologies are available to those who can benefit most from them. Trump’s “Clean and Advanced Fossil Fuel Alliance” already takes shape as a viable international option for promoting clean coal energy policies.
