3 ms·

So? Neither the US, nor China have plans of ending any of them.

• adventured 8y ago
  The US, unlike Germany and China (which is still aggressively expanding its coal use), hasn't needed such a plan to end coal. With existing environmental restrictions and costs on coal, we've already seen a massive reduction in coal use in the US over the last ~11 years. That persistent decline continues under a supposedly coal-friendly administration. What does it mean? Nobody can stop what's happening as things are now (it would take a law requiring coal to be a minimum share of the generation base). The natural gas industry is thrilled to kill off coal and take their business. The natural gas business is far stronger than coal is now and that imbalance will get a lot worse over the next decade (especially as it's a rider on the shale oil boom).
  • gok 8y ago
    Yeah I don't fully buy that either. The US move to natural gas is mostly due to luck in the discovery of cheap gas. The negative externalities on coal are still not nearly being taxed hard enough. I just find it absurd that Germany outlawed its primary source of carbon-neutral electricity quickly but is dawdling on coal.