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https://theconversation.com/the-coal-whack-a-mole-getting-rid-of-coal-power-will-make-prices-fall-and-demand-rise-elsewhere-199305>
"The fight against climate change is full of inconvenient truths. The latest?
Coal is going to be harder to get rid of than we had hoped. Every victory like
the rejection of Clive Palmer’s proposed Rockhampton coal mine seems to be
offset by coal’s gains elsewhere.
Potsdam Institute experts this week published research suggesting we have less
than 5% chance of actually ending coal use by 2050. That would make the Paris
Agreement goal of keeping global heating under 1.5℃ all but impossible.
Why? Supply and demand coupled with domestic policies and priorities. While
coal power is likely to drop sharply, coal use will rebound in other sectors,
according to the research. Why? As some countries move to clean energy, the
price of coal will fall. Once coal is cheaper, other countries or domestic
sectors such as steelmaking are likely to seize the opportunity and buy more.
The researchers estimate for every 100 joules of coal not burned in power
plants, an extra 54 joules will be burned in other sectors, in a trend they dub
“coal leakage”.
Leakage poses a new challenge, just as the world seems set to accelerate
climate action. The only answer? Accelerate even faster."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
