Coal

In this seminar, jointly organised by ZEW and the University of Mannheim, Mark C. Thurber from Stanford University will give a presentation of his book, entitled "Coal".

By making available the almost unlimited energy stored in prehistoric plant matter, coal enabled the industrial age – and it still does. Coal today generates more electricity worldwide than any other energy source, helping to drive economic growth in major emerging markets. And yet, continued reliance on this ancient rock carries a high price in smog and greenhouse gases.

We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move, cheap to burn in power plants with inadequate environmental controls. In this talk, Dr. Mark C. Thurber will explain how coal producers, users, financiers, and technology exporters drive this supply chain, while fragmented environmental movements battle for full incorporation of environmental costs into the global calculus of coal. He will discuss the local, national, and international policy barriers to major shifts away from coal, as well as what a coal-free future might look like.