Coal In The 21st Century

The long-term future for coal looks bleak. The recent UN climate change conference in Paris called for an end to the use of fossil fuels. However, coal remains one of the world’s most important sources of energy, fuelling more than 40% of electricity generation worldwide, with many developing nations relying almost wholly on coal-fuelled electricity. Coal has been the fastest growing energy source in recent years and is essential for many industrial activities, but the coal industry is hugely damaging for the environment. A major driver in climate change and causing around 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, coal fuel comes at a high environmental price. Furthermore, mining and air pollution kill thousands each year. A timely addition to the series, this book critically reviews the role of coal in the 21st century, examining energy needs, usage and health implications. With case studies and an examination of future developments and economics, this text provides an essential update on an environmental topic the world cannot ignore.

With worsening climate change worldwide, the use of coal energy must be reevaluated. Lessons from highly optimized experiences in developed countries, along with innovative statistical tools, are ready to be employed in the coal energy field. Leveraging these resources can enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and promote sustainable practices in coal utilization. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the coal energy industry in the 21st century. It includes six chapters organized into three sections on the past and future of coal energy, application of statistical tools, and application technologies. Chapters address such topics as the pros and cons of coal energy, current clean coal technologies, the application of statistical tools to improve productivity and effectiveness in the coal energy industry, utilization of waste coal fly ash, and more.

"The Cutting Edge" discusses coal in terms of the personal equipment and simple machines that miners use to protect themselves and monitor their workplace, describes the complex underground and surface machinery that make the American coal industry one of the most productive workforces on earth, discusses coal tranportation, and coal utilization, outlines the regulatory aspects of the coal industry, and examines careers in coal mining and what the future may hold.

This is the eBook version of the printed book. This Element is an excerpt from The Rise of the State: Profitable Investing and Geopolitics in the 21st Century (9780137153879) by Yiannis G. Mostrous, Elliott H. Gue, and David F. Dittman. Available in print and digital formats. Coal: Understand it, respect it, profit from it. Investors all too often dismiss coal as an anachronism, a relic of the 19th century. For many environmental groups, coal is public enemy No. 1 because of its reputation as the dirtiest of the fossil fuels. Coal will remain an important part of the global energy mix in the 21st century, just as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries. Coal doesn’t get enough respect.

"The 2016 Nobel Laureate in Literature has eloquently characterized the coal situation today: "The times they are a-changin'." On or about December 2010, the coal industry worldwide seemed to be in great shape. Global demand for coal had not only recovered from the 2008 recession, but was by then expanding at annual rates"--