A lot of people are looking to "clean coal" as the fuel of the future (especially the coal mining industry), at least to supply the United States with electricity. Here are some facts about coal:
- the oldest coal mine in the UK is at Wearmouth, Tyne and Wear, and dates to circa 1822
- coal is found on every continent from the Arctic to the Antarctic, yet it was formed in temperate and subtropical conditions
- most estimates say the U.S. currently has around 250 years of coal remaining in the ground (at current rates). This does not take into account the very high probability that petroleum and natural gas will be virtually gone within the next 50 years, and that energy needs (i.e. wants) continue to grow at a rapid pace all over the planet
- 39% of electricity generated worldwide comes from coal
- the iron and steel industries depend on the use of coal
- coal-fired power plants are responsible for 60% of U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions, 33% of U.S. mercury emissions, 25% of nitrogen oxide emissions, and more than 33% of the nation's carbon dioxide air emissions
- one of the primary ways the coal industry wants to make coal clean is through carbon sequestration, the effects of which very little is known at this point