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> If coal is the cheapest, that means it is the best way to create electricity right now. Only it isn't. Not including the negative externalities (too much pol

> If coal is the cheapest, that means it is the best way to create electricity right now. Only it isn't. Not including the negative externalities (too much pollution, too expensive), not excluding them (too expensive).

etrabroline 5y ago
Only if you value not getting cancer more than not having electricity.
perryizgr8 5y ago
> too much pollution How much pollution is too much? I feel we are a long way from that point still, in India.
- trog 5y ago
  > How much pollution is too much? I feel we are a long way from that point still, in India. I would argue: any pollution that isn't factored into the cost of the energy production. If it's not priced in then there's no rational acting in the market, which (for better or worse) is the mechanism that we're using to figure out which energy systems to deploy. Even with that in mind, renewables like solar and wind are already easily cost-competitive with coal in many locations and getting more so every day (by most current measures of levelised cost of energy).
- DanBC 5y ago
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/india-suffers-most-pollution-linked-deaths-in-world-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/india-suffers-... > India leads the world in pollution-linked deaths– followed by China and Nigeria – according to a report published on Wednesday that estimated the global impact of contaminants in the air, water and workplace. [...] > India and China led in the number of pollution deaths, with about 2.3 million and 1.8 million respectively, followed by Nigeria, Indonesia and Pakistan. Air pollution in India is complicated, because there's a mix of industrial and domestic sources. But these numbers feel to me like India urgently needs to do more work to reduce pollution.
  - perryizgr8 5y ago
    > But these numbers feel to me like India urgently needs to do more work to reduce pollution. I think we can easily reduce this number if we produce enough power and build enough hospitals and teach enough doctors. There are multiple ways to solve every problem. Reducing pollution is one of them, in this case.

etrabroline 5y ago

Only if you value not getting cancer more than not having electricity.

perryizgr8 5y ago

> too much pollution How much pollution is too much? I feel we are a long way from that point still, in India.

trog 5y ago
> How much pollution is too much? I feel we are a long way from that point still, in India. I would argue: any pollution that isn't factored into the cost of the energy production. If it's not priced in then there's no rational acting in the market, which (for better or worse) is the mechanism that we're using to figure out which energy systems to deploy. Even with that in mind, renewables like solar and wind are already easily cost-competitive with coal in many locations and getting more so every day (by most current measures of levelised cost of energy).
DanBC 5y ago
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/india-suffers-most-pollution-linked-deaths-in-world-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/19/india-suffers-... > India leads the world in pollution-linked deaths– followed by China and Nigeria – according to a report published on Wednesday that estimated the global impact of contaminants in the air, water and workplace. [...] > India and China led in the number of pollution deaths, with about 2.3 million and 1.8 million respectively, followed by Nigeria, Indonesia and Pakistan. Air pollution in India is complicated, because there's a mix of industrial and domestic sources. But these numbers feel to me like India urgently needs to do more work to reduce pollution.
- perryizgr8 5y ago
  > But these numbers feel to me like India urgently needs to do more work to reduce pollution. I think we can easily reduce this number if we produce enough power and build enough hospitals and teach enough doctors. There are multiple ways to solve every problem. Reducing pollution is one of them, in this case.