Page 4 - AsiaElec Week 21 2022

AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec

Is coal killing us all?

GLOBAL ENDING coal-fired power generation could around 6.7 million fatalities in 2019.
prevent 14.5mn premature death from air pollu- Coal-fired power plants contribute to this
tion between now and 2050 and would create up problem by releasing pollutants such as primary
to $16.3 trillion in economic benefits. particulate matter, for example PM2.5, as well
New analysis from the German-based New as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which
Climate Institute found that ending coal genera- produce secondary particulate matter.
tion is a major public health issue, and that using These micro-particles can cross the lung
coal to make electricity was producing 10.5bn barrier and enter the blood system, negatively
tonnes per year of CO2 and causing 900,000 impacting the cardiovascular system and also
premature deaths per year. directly causing respiratory illnesses.
This output of CO2 is a major contributor to The new climate Institute’s report estimated
global temperature rise, and the report from the fatalities amongst populations exposed
New Climate Institute pointed out that all to increased concentrations of air pollutants
scenarios compatible with meeting the Paris from coal plants caused by four adulthood dis-
Agreement’s 1.5C temperature limit require a eases: heart disease (caused by a narrowing of
rapid decline in coal use. the arteries); stroke; lung cancer, and chronic
Reducing coal use also provides a golden obstructive pulmonary disease.
opportunity to improve air quality and reduce
pollution at the same time. China and Asia
The International Energy Agency estimates The report said that china dominated global
that global unabated coal use in the energy sec- adverse health impacts from coal-fired electric-
tor must fall by 55% by 2030 and be phased out ity generation. The country accounts for over
entirely by 2040. half of the global coal fleet today, and coal plants
Similarly, ending new oil, gas and coal devel- in China cause over 720,000 premature deaths
opments is not enough to achieve net zero by per year.
2050, according to new research from the Inter- The operation o1f existing and planned coal
national Institute for Sustainable Development. plants in China could cause up to 21mn prema-
Instead, already built fossil fuel projects must be ture deaths over the coming three decades with-
decommissioned early if climate change is to be out measures to curtail their construction and
limited to 1.5°C. use.
In November 2021, governments from Despite signing up to the Glasgow Climate
across the globe committed to “accelerating Pact at COP26 in 2021, China continues to
efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal channel significant investment into boosting
power” at COP26 in Glasgow. its domestic coal industry, with the China Elec-
The research used the New Climate Insti- tricity Council (CEC) forecasting installation of
tute’s AIRPOLIM webtool, which draws on the a further 180GW (approximately 10% of cur-
Global Coal Plant Tracker data provided by rently operating capacity) of coal-fired power
Global Energy Monitor. before 2030.
The tool used the coal use and emissions data Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may drive it to
to map the impact of 2,000GW of coal plants further boost domestic reliance on coal.
that are operating, representing 90% of the Outside China, other Asian states, such as
global fleet, as well as another 400GW still in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan,
the planning pipeline. account for most of the remaining share of pro-
Poor air quality is a major contributor jected premature deaths from coal power around
to health complications around the world, the world.
accounting for more than 1 in 9 deaths, or If steps are not taken to limit the use of

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