COAL FACTSHEET #1

THE DIRTY FACTS ABOUT COAL Impacts of Coal on Health & the Environment

ur global addiction to coal is killing us and irreparably restricting or eliminating support for coal plants. The damaging our planet. Each year, hundreds of US and several European countries have also enacted O thousands of people die due to coal pollution. Millions bans on financing coal overseas except in limited more around the world suffer from asthma attacks, heart circumstances. attacks, hospitalizations and lost workdays.1 Those who resist coal are faced with violence and repression. While the movement to stop coal is growing, the coal industry is relentless in its push to mine and burn more Up to 1200 new coal-fired power plants are planned coal. We must join together to put an end to coal. around the world. If all of these plants were built, it would lock in decades of hazardous emissions into our air and water and would continue coal’s heavy toll on human health. On top of that, the greenhouse gas emissions Coal in Perspective from these plants would put us a path of catastrophic Coal’s share of world energy generation: 41% climate change, causing global temperatures to rise by over 5 degrees Celsius by 2100.2 Coal’s share of energy-related CO2 emissions: 72%

A burgeoning global movement is pressuring Percentage of fossil fuel reserves that must be left in governments and institutions to take action to end our the ground to avoid catastrophic reliance on coal. In the European Union, 109 proposed climate change: 72% coal-fired power plants have been defeated. Last year, Global coal production (2012): 7,830 million tonnes the Chinese government banned the construction permitting of new coal plants in the three key economic Projected growth in demand through 2018: 2.3 regions surrounding the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, housing 30% of China’s current coal-fired Top Top Top power generation capacity. US groups have defeated 179 Exporters: importers: Consumers: new coal-fired power plants, and more than 165 existing Indonesia, China, Japan, China, USA, plants are slated for retirement. Australia, India, South India, Japan, Russia, USA Korea Russia, South International financial institutions, such as the World Bank, Africa the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, have adopted policies Impacts of the Coal Life Cycle

At each stage of its life cycle, coal pollutes the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that we depend on. This section briefly describes the impacts of coal mining, preparation, transport and combustion.

1. MINING diseases.4 Before and after transport, coal is often stockpiled, releasing more coal dust. Residents living Large tracts of forest and other productive lands are near the world’s largest coal port in Newcastle, Australia often cleared and communities are displaced for coal suffer from particulate emissions that regularly cause air mines. To expose coal seams, water may be pumped pollution exceeding national health standards. Exposure out of the ground, lowering the water table and reducing to fine particulates increases the risk of premature death, the amount of water available for agriculture, domestic heart attacks and asthma attacks. use and wildlife. Excavated rock is piled up in enormous waste dumps adjacent to the mines. Heavy metals and minerals trapped in the waste rock are mobilised once 4. COMBUSTION exposed to air and water and can contaminate surface and groundwater. Coal is the deadliest electricity source on the planet, killing up to 280,000 people per 1000 terawatt hours of 5 Communities that live near mines electricity generated. By contrast, suffer from air and water pollution. wind kills 150 people and rooftop They face reduced life expectancies Globally, over solar 440 people per 1000 terawatt and increased rates of lung cancer hours. The burning of coal emits and heart, respiratory and kidney 350,000 people hazardous air pollutants that can disease. Pregnant women have a die prematurely spread for hundreds of kilometres. higher risk of having children of Pollutants include particulate matter, low birth weight. Miners face great each year due to sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, physical risk due to accidents, air pollution from carbon dioxide, mercury and arsenic.6 explosions and mine collapses. In Some of these pollutants react in the China, roughly 4000-6000 workers coal-fired power atmosphere to form ozone and more die from underground mining fine particulates. Exposure to these 3 plants and millions accidents each year. Miners are also pollutants can damage people’s directly exposed to toxic fumes, coal more suffer cardiovascular, respiratory and dust and toxic metals, increasing nervous systems, increasing the risk their risk for fatal lung diseases such serious illnesses. of lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, as pneumoconiosis and silicosis. chronic respiratory diseases and lethal respiratory infections. Children, 2. PREPARATION/WASHING the elderly, pregnant women, and people with already compromised health suffer most. The emission of sulfates After coal is mined, it is often prepared for combustion in and nitrates also leads to acid rain, which damages coal preparation plants. Coal is usually crushed, washed streams, forests, crops and soils. with water and other chemicals to reduce impurities such as clay, sulfur and heavy metals, and dried. Some Fine particulate matter pollution is the greatest chemicals used to “wash” coal are known carcinogens; environmental health risk globally, and a leading others are linked to lung and heart damage. The resulting environmental cause of cancer.7 Particle pollution was wastewater, known as coal slurry, is typically stored in responsible for an estimated 3 million premature deaths slurry ponds, which can leak and contaminate surface in 2010. Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest and groundwater. sources of each of the key pollutants contributing to fine particle pollution globally.

3. TRANSPORT Coal plants consume vast amounts of water for cooling The transport of coal by train, truck, ship or barge is often and steam production. A typical 1000 MW coal plant uses overlooked as a potential health threat to communities enough water in one year to meet the basic water needs living along transport corridors. Coal trains, trucks and of 500,000 people. Massive coal expansion is planned barges emit coal dust, sometimes at intense levels, in China, India and Russia where 63% of the population increasing the rate of respiratory and cardiovascular already suffer from water scarcity.8

2 | COAL FACTSHEET #1 1. MINING Mountaintop removal, surface and underground

Heavy metals and other toxics contaminate water. Rivers and Destroys forests, uproots streams are polluted, harming communities. communities and wildlife. Coal 2. PREPARATION washing consumes fresh water.

Air pollution damages heart, lungs and nervous systems. CO2 causes global warming. Pollutants include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, Leaching of heavy metals particulates, ozone, heavy and other toxics metals and carbon dioxide. contaminates water, harming communities and wildlife. Coal washing consumes fresh water. 3. TRANSPORT Coal dust increases heart 4. COMBUSTION and lung disease. Water withdrawals for cooling systems can cause water scarcity and kill aquatic life.

Thermal water releases kill aquatic life.

ASHASH LANANDFILLDF

Leaching of heavy metals and other toxics pollute water and increase rates of cancer, birth defects and neurological damage. Spills harm humans and ecosystems.

ENDCOAL | 3 Coal combustion generates waste contaminated with While air pollution control equipment reduces emissions toxic chemicals and heavy metals, such as arsenic, of toxins to the atmosphere, it transfers the toxins to solid cadmium, selenium, lead and mercury. Coal combustion or liquid waste streams. This ash is stored in waste ponds waste may be stored in waste ponds or landfills, or landfills which leach sulfur dioxide and heavy metals which are often unlined. Contaminants may leach into into surface and groundwater. ground and surface water that people depend on for drinking. This can increase rates of cancer, birth defects, Coal combustion is the single largest source of reproductive problems and neurological damage. Power greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and accounts for plants dump more toxins into rivers and streams than 72% of greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity any other industry in the United States, and toxic waste sector. This is warming our planet with devastating from power plants is the second largest source of waste impacts to human health and the environment. The coal in the US, behind municipal waste. In February 2014, industry proposes that it can build power stations that over 140,000 tons of coal ash and wastewater from a will capture carbon dioxide and store it underground. retired coal plant spilled into the Dan River in North However, the technological and economic viability of Carolina, blackening the waters with a toxic sludge and carbon capture and storage is unproven and is unlikely to contaminating drinking water supplies. be viable for decades to come, if ever.

Investing in Clean Energy

To end our dependence on coal, it is critical to invest in local electricity prices without subsidies. This includes clean and sustainable energy options. The first step is to Chile, Australia and Germany for residential power and reduce our overall demand for energy and to implement Mexico and China for industrial markets.11 energy efficiency measures. The International Energy Agency recommends that countries target reducing Some experts predict that fossil fuel use will peak by energy use from new space and water heating; installing 2030 because fossil fuels will be unable to compete with more efficient lighting and new appliances; improving the renewables economically.12 While the cost of fossil fuels will efficiency of new industrial motors; and setting standards continue to rise in a carbon-constrained world, the costs of for new road vehicles.9 renewables will continue to decline. A Harvard University study estimated that the external costs of the coal life cycle Renewable energy, which generates little or no pollution in the US are between a third to a half a trillion dollars and greenhouse gases, has become increasingly annually. If the full costs of coal were reflected in coal’s competitive with conventional energy sources. The price, it would double or triple the price of electricity from increase in economic competitiveness is paving the coal. This would end coal generation more rapidly. way for greater adoption. Since 2008, the price of solar panels has dropped by 75%.10 According to Deutsche Rather than locking in a dependency on dirty coal for Bank, 19 regional markets worldwide have now achieved generations to come, governments and utilities should “grid parity,” where PV solar panels can match or beat invest in clean, renewable energy.

ENDNOTES RESOURCES 1 Erica Burt, Peter Orris, Susan Buchanan, “Scientific Evidence of Health Effects from Coal Use in Coal Activist Energy Generation”, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, 2013, p.5 2 If all the proposed coal-fired power plants were built by 2025, the net increase in coal-fired Resource Centre: generation capacity would exceed the increase in the Current Policies Scenario in the IEA World endcoal.org Energy Outlook 2012, which is estimated by the IEA to be consistent with median long-term temperature increase of 5.3oC by 2100. Greenpeace 3 Paul R. Epstein, Jonathan J. Buonocore, Kevin Eckerle, et al. 2011. “Full cost accounting for International: the life cycle of coal,” Volume 1219: Ecological Economics Reviews, Annals of the New York greenpeace.org/ ENDCOAL.ORG Academy of Sciences, 1219: 73–98. coal 4 Ibid, p. 84. 5 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2012/06/10/energys-deathprint-a-price-always-paid/ Sierra Club: 6 Burt, Orris, and Buchanan, ibid, p.3. 7 International Agency for Research on Cancer, 17 October 2013, http://www.iarc.fr/en/media- sierraclub.org/coal centre/iarcnews/pdf/pr221_E.pdf Union of 8 “The Unquenchable Thirst of an Expanding Coal Industry,” The Guardian, April 1, 2014. 9 “Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map,” World Energy Outlook Special Report, International Concerned Scientists: ucsusa.org/clean_ Energy Agency, June 10, 2013, p. 47. energy/ 10 Morgan Bazilian, Ijeoma Onyeji, Michael Liebreich et al. “Reconsidering the Economics of Photovoltaic Power,” Bloomberg New Energy Finance, May 2012, p.5. International Renewable Energy Agency: 11 “Global solar dominance in sight as science trumps fossil fuels,” The Telegraph, April 25, 2014. irena.org 12 “‘Peak Fossil Fuels’ Is Closer Than You Think: BNEF,” Bloomberg, April 24, 2013.

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