US exports help Germany increase coal, pollution

[NickB79]

http://news.yahoo.com/us-exports-help-germany-increase-coal-pollution-040226369.html

The 750-megawatt Trianel Kohlekraftwerk Luenen GmbH & Co. power plant relies completely on coal imports, about half from the U.S. Soon, all of Germany's coal-fired power plants will be dependent on imports, with the country expected to halt coal mining in 2018 when government subsidies end.

Coal mining's demise in Germany comes as the country is experiencing a resurgence in coal-fired power, one which the U.S. increasingly has helped supply. U.S. exports of power plant-grade coal to Germany have more than doubled since 2008. In 2013, Germany ranked fifth, behind the United Kingdom, Netherlands, South Korea and Italy in imports of U.S. steam coal, the type burned in power plants.

On the American side of the pollution ledger, this fossil fuel trade helps the United States look as if it is making more progress on global warming than it actually is. That's because it shifts some pollution — and the burden for cleaning it — onto another other country's balance sheet.

Last year, Germany's carbon dioxide emissions grew by 1.2 percent, in large part because the country burned more coal. German environmental officials say the recent boom in coal-fired power is making it harder for the country to meet its climate-protection goals, even as it has increased renewable energy and participates in a carbon market that has lowered emissions throughout Europe.

[TT_Progress]

1. We seem to be on a path to extend the fossil fuel age as long as possible

[Nihil]

2. "Germany's carbon dioxide emissions grew by 1.2 percent ... because the country burned more coal"

> the country is experiencing a resurgence in coal-fired power

But we were assured that Germany wouldn't be burning *more* coal as they
are leading the renewable revolution along with China ... oh ... wait a minute ...

Neither of them have got enough renewables yet so they have to make up
the difference with ... COAL!

[GliderGuider]

3. According to another data source, their emissions grew by almost 2.2%

According to the BP Statistical Review 2014, Germany's recent emission numbers are:
2012: 824.9 MtCO2
2013: 842.8 MtCO2
Increase: 17.9 million tonnes, or 2.17% of their 2012 emissions.

If they're not going to promote demand destruction, they'd better get busy building more whirligigs.

[hunter]

4. Reality bites.

Germany is not a magical solar and wind powered place.

[NickB79]

5. I liked the third paragraph I posted as well

On the American side of the pollution ledger, this fossil fuel trade helps the United States look as if it is making more progress on global warming than it actually is. That's because it shifts some pollution — and the burden for cleaning it — onto another other country's balance sheet.

Which explains things like this: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/1022/US-carbon-emissions-fall-to-18-year-low.-What-s-behind-it

Energy-related carbon emissions in the US dropped 3.8 percent in 2012 to levels not seen in 18 years, according to a report released Monday by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). It's the second largest annual decrease in carbon emissions since 1990, behind the recession year of 2009, and it happened in a year where gross domestic product grew by 2.8 percent and population grew by 0.7 percent.

Emissions fall domestically as we switch to natural gas, but export all the unburned coal we're still busily digging out of the ground.

GDP grew 2.8% in part because we were exporting said coal for large sums of money.

Unfortunately, we all share one atmosphere, and that atmosphere doesn't give a fuck where on the planet the pollutants are mined, or burned.