Rethinking Coal’s Rule in India
India is a large rapidly developing economy. It is a foregone conclusion that our infrastructure sector particularly the energy sector has to grow rapidly to meet the development needs of the country. The present demand and supply gap in the electricity sector itself is almost touching a high of 12%.
These factors have prompted the government to plan and execute a huge capacity addition in the electricity generation arena. For historical and economic reasons the future capacity addition will be biased towards coal – a highly polluting fossil fuel. This will compliment the present 70% installed capacity based on coal.
The common understanding about coal is that it is indigenous, cheap and that we have reserves to sustain over a long time period. Extraction and utilization of coal puts an immense pressure on local ecology in mining areas. Coal based thermal power generation is the single largest source for greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the problem of climate change as a result of unprecedented global warming.
WWF’s publication “Rethinking Coal’s Rule in India” looks at these issues and comes up with a set of recommendations for policy analysts, environmentalists and the general public in a succinct and reader-friendly manner. It highlights the reasons why coal is not a “cheap” fuel choice; it has high underlying external costs which are borne by people and the planet.
The key set of recommendations for rethinking the way we use coal are:
These factors have prompted the government to plan and execute a huge capacity addition in the electricity generation arena. For historical and economic reasons the future capacity addition will be biased towards coal – a highly polluting fossil fuel. This will compliment the present 70% installed capacity based on coal.
The common understanding about coal is that it is indigenous, cheap and that we have reserves to sustain over a long time period. Extraction and utilization of coal puts an immense pressure on local ecology in mining areas. Coal based thermal power generation is the single largest source for greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the problem of climate change as a result of unprecedented global warming.
WWF’s publication “Rethinking Coal’s Rule in India” looks at these issues and comes up with a set of recommendations for policy analysts, environmentalists and the general public in a succinct and reader-friendly manner. It highlights the reasons why coal is not a “cheap” fuel choice; it has high underlying external costs which are borne by people and the planet.
The key set of recommendations for rethinking the way we use coal are:
- Internalizing the true costs of coal production and use
- Strengthening environmental regulations by empowering the public
- Implementation of low emissions coal technology
Key Contacts
Shirish Sinha
(Head - Climate Change and Energy Programme)
WWF India,
New Delhi Main
T: +91 11 43516245
(Head - Climate Change and Energy Programme)
WWF India,
New Delhi Main
T: +91 11 43516245
