The Price of Energy Consumption - The Renaissance of Renewable Energy - page 192

of natural gas is less hazardous since it releases nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide but in
lower quantities than the burning of coal or oil.
Most exposure to air pollutants is directly or indirectly linked to energy production.
Household environmental exposures, including indoor air pollution from the burning of
solid fuels for cooking and heating, is highest in less industrialized countries.
Figure 6.4. Premature deaths from household air pollution and other diseases in 2008
and projected for 2030. Source: Sathaye et al. ( 2011 ) (modified).
In China, the world's fastest-growing major economy, the problem of air pollution
is reaching acute levels. Under the socialist Huai River policy, from 1950 to 1980, the
Chinese government provided free coal for heating homes and offices in the colder regions
north of the Huai River. The situation was different south of the river, where budget
constraints prevented the provision of free coal. A recent study examined pollution and
mortality data from sites across the country for the years 1981 to 2000 (Chen et al. 2013 ) .
Concentrations of suspended particulates north of the river were found to be 55 per cent
higher than south. The inhabitants of the northern region paid for their cheaper energy with
their lives, as it was shown that an increased incidence of cardiorespiratory mortality led to
an average reduction in life expectancy of 5.5 years.
Exposure to domestic fumes is recognized as one of the biggest causes of early death in
developing countries, and it is projected to exceed other major causes of premature deaths,
such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, by 2030. Women and children, who spend more
time indoors, and the poorest segment of the population are most affected (Fischedick et al.
2011 ; Sathaye et al. 2011 ; WHO 2011 ) .
Water Impacts
Humans consume 4,000 cubic kilometres of water every year, more than the entire volume
of Lake Victoria. Most of this (2,800 cubic kilometres per year) is claimed by agriculture
(Smil 2008 ). The energy industry accounts for roughly one-fifth of global water
consumption (IEA 2012a ). Some of this is used in extraction (water pumped underground
to push out oil, coal or gas), some in refining, but most in power plants as a coolant and as
the vector for steam turbines (see Figure 6.5 ) . Hydroelectric schemes are also prodigious
water users. More than half of the water diverted by hydroelectric dams is wasted (either
through evaporation or dissipation into groundwater) before reaching hydro turbines.