Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Workers stack coal bricks at a coal plant in Shanxi province, China.
Top six coal consumers in 2008 (in millions of tonnes oil
equivalent)
China
1,406.3
United States
565.0
India
231.4
Japan
128.7
South Africa
102.8
Russia
101.3
World consumption
3,303.7
Source:
BP Statisical Review
Coal's alarming comeback
In climate terms, coal is the scariest of the three main fossil fuels. Of the
three it is the least likely to run out, it has the fastest growing demand and
does the most damage to the atmosphere. Coal has indeed become the
“new nuclear”, in the sense that across North America and Europe at least,
