It's easy to focus on the shrinking market share and layoffs in the coal industry and see the demise of the industry, but construction of new coal burning power plants is still booming in countries like China and India.
Brad Plumer shares the latest findings on the size and strength of the coal industry, as reported in the 2016 "Boom and Bust" report prepared by CoalSwarm, the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace. The report provides a yearly review of "all the new coal plants that have been announced, permitted, or are currently being built around the world."
The 2016 report finds 1,500 coal plants at various stages of development around the world. Here's how Plumer sums up the impact of that figure:
That's a staggering number. If even a fraction of these plants get built and operate for their full lifetime, we'll likely bust through the 2°C global warming threshold that world leaders have promised to stay below. Even 3°C could be tough to avoid.
Plumer notes an important caveat: China, like the United States, might be losing its appetite for coal-powered electricity. China is home to half the world's planned coal capacity, so a sea change there would be a major loss for the coal industry. Plumer has already noted in a previous, separate article that much of China's planned coal power capacity might be superfluous. Plumer also delves into India's electricity market. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a near doubling of coal production by 2020," according to Plumer, but even that target is in doubt.
FULL STORY: Hundreds of coal plants are still being planned worldwide — enough to cook the planet
Decline in Coal-Fired Power Reduces U.S. Carbon Emissions in 2019
The energy sector produced ten percent less carbon emissions in 2019 than the previous year—the largest drop in decades. Still, the decline of the coal industry is not enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord.
A Win for ‘Keep it in the Ground’
Coal mining in Wyoming will take a major hit as a result of a U.S. Department of Interior plan to cease future leasing of coal mines in the nation's most productive coal mining basin. The decision casts a spotlight on the presidential election.
The Climate Story You Might Have Missed
Surface temperatures reached 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) in India and Pakistan at the end of April. Wet bulb temperature, the point at which the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating, is 35 degrees Celsius.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.
Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service