Coal power is the biggest culprit
Without a doubt the biggest climate polluter is the global power sector which is responsible for 37% of all man-made Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The power industry creates about 23 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – in excess of 700 tonnes a second. This CO2 heats up Planet Earth, creates global warming and changes the climate.
Europe's Dirty 30
Click on the image above to see details about Europe's worst climate polluting power stations in our interactive map
© WWF
Click on the image above to see details about Europe's worst climate polluting power stations in our interactive map
© WWF
Generating electricity through the burning of fossil fuels, in particular carbon-heavy coal has a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other single human activity. But still, politicians around the world act in favour of dirty coal. In many cases the coal industry is subsidized by the government – effectively endorsing the continuing pollution of the planet.
What is more, this industry is notoriously inefficient. The average coal-fired power plant wastes twice as much energy heating up the planet as it converts to useful electricity. Each large 1000 Megawatt (MW) coal-fired plant typically emits 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
And there is no natural end to it. We have enough coal left for at least 200 years.
Governments around the world are subsidizing climate change
If the global power sector could be made fully accountable for the true costs of pollution and climate change, it would probably turn away from fossil fuel overnight.
Politicians have the power to make this happen by passing tough legislation. Too many governments still subsidize coal production – often heavily.
In fact, some countries appear determined to pump as much money into coal as their power plants pump CO2 into the atmosphere. A total of US$150 billion is made available to subsidize fossil fuels every year, of which US$53billion goes into coal subsidies. OECD countries support their coal industry with a whopping US$30billion annually!
Source: UNDP World Energy Assessment 2004, p 73 [pdf]
The UN World Energy Assessment calls such subsidies "pervasive and often perverse". The subsidies cause market distortion: much cleaner renewable energies are hampered in their ability to compete with dirty fuel that is subsidized. Governments should provide financial support for clean energy sources rather than for dirty fuel.
