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The Moral Case for

Coal
Sevi, Gusti and Javi
Quick important facts

● 56% of the US electricity every day

● 9 out of 10 tons of coal we produce are used domestically

● The world´s steel and iron industry depend on coal

● 95% of Kentucky´s energy produced by coal

● Directly employs nearly 134,000 people in the US

● Additional 3.5 jobs are created elsewhere in the economy


● It is very easy to export

● It is very easy to find

● The US has one of the biggest reserves

● 50% of energy used to produce


aluminium comes from coal
Cheap, Plentiful, and Reliable
Cheap: States that rely the most on coal-fueled power plants have electricity prices 25% lower than
states that rely less on coal

Renewable energy most harshly affects lower income families

- 56 million people who spend 16% of their household budgets on energy

Plentiful: Located universally -----> more than 70 countries

Reliable: Coal plants = 24/7 vs depend on weather

During extremely cold weather conditions (polar vortex) in 2013/14, coal-fueled power plants played a
critical role in keeping the lights on in parts of the northeastern U.S.
Costs
Germany and Denmark
Denmark = 100% increase in electricity costs

Germany = 51% increase in electricity costs


US Exports Coal
The top five destinations of U.S. coal exports and their shares of total coal exports
in 2017 were

● India—11.8%
● South Korea—9.7%
● The Netherlands—9.7%
● Japan—7.9%
● Brazil—7.8%
US in the global coal industry
Produces 660.6 million metric tons of coal :: Ranks 3

-China ranks 1 producing 3,411 million metric tons

Exports $9.9 billion (8.9% of world coal exports) :: Ranks 4

-Australia rank 1 exporting $40.6 billion (36.6% of world coal exports)


Coal is Domestic

We don’t have to fight for coal in foreign


countries

Countries have influence over us if we


trade with them, especially for energy
“The Coal Era”
It’s a point of industrialization for each 1st world country.

E.g The Industrial Revolution

Solar and Wind are too inconsistent

If a country need energy the cheapest way to buy it is through coal

These are the stages that each country has to go through.


Baseline for alternative energy
How do you make solar cells, produce wind turbines?

-with Coal

Without coal we wouldn’t be where we are today.

And with coal we can make the future more reliable.


Conclusion
Coal energy may not be the future for the United States, but currently is a
necessary evil. It is the future for developing countries.

We can’t regulate these countries just yet until they can sustain themselves. Then
from there we can make them change to more environmentally friendly options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1GZKrCUwG8
http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/coal/advantages-of-coal

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=41&t=6

https://vittana.org/14-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-coal

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=coal_imports

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Energy/Coal/Consumption

http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/04/11/coal-advantages-and-disadvantages-pros-of-coal-winning-despite-dangerous-cons/

https://naturalresources.house.gov/blog/?postid=366940

http://www.rmcmi.org/education/coal-facts#.W6JkFS2ZMdU

http://www.rmcmi.org/education/coal-facts#.W6JkFS2ZMdU

http://www.coaleducation.org/q&a/10_reasons_why_coal.htm

https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/25/cost-of-solar-power-vs-cost-of-wind-power-coal-nuclear-natural-gas/

http://www.moralcaseforfossilfuels.com/data/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/04/23/if-solar-and-wind-are-so-cheap-why-are-they-making-electricity-more-
expensive/#621569181dc6
http://www.pfbach.dk/firma_pfb/pfb_skyrocketing_electricity_cost_2014.pdf

http://www.distgen.co/solutions/diversify/the-energy-challenge/fossil-fuels-cheap-available-reliable-convenient/

https://www.worldcoal.org/file_validate.php?file=WCA_Basic%20Coal%20Facts_0.pdf

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/05/f34/6%20Things%20About%20Coal%20Infographic_6.pdf

www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/en/corporate/excel/energy-economics/statistical-review-2017/bp-statistical-review-of-world-
energy-2017-underpinning-data.xlsx

http://www.worldstopexports.com/coal-exports-country/

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