Coal mining in an open pit by Mark Agnor via Shutterstock

Coal projects — such as the proposed Vista coal mine expansion – threaten the climate, human health, biodiversity, and the air, land, and water.

Thermal coal is the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel, toxic for human health and disastrous for the climate. In fact, burning coal is responsible for a nearly half of carbon emissions around the world.

That’s why Ecojustice stepped up to represent clients concerned about the Vista coal mine expansion.

If built, the proposed expansion could result in the extraction of up to 15 MT of coal per year. When shipped and consumed abroad, burning this much coal could lead to 33 MT of carbon. By comparison, the largest single source of carbon in Canada is currently another coal plant in Alberta that emits 12.7 MT of carbon dioxide a year – just over one-third of Vista’s total projected emissions.

Source: Saying no to a coal comeback: The Vista coal mine

Then, There Is Solar

China’s President Xi Jinping surprised the global community recently by committing his country to net-zero emissions by 2060. Prior to this announcement, the prospect of becoming “carbon neutral” barely rated a mention in China’s national policies.

These Alberta mines expect to ship the majority of the metallurgical coal and thermal coal to Asian markets including China. Naturally if they are slashing their consumption, it could cause some concern for mining companies in Alberta, including Riversdale Resources. It will be interesting to see what happens.[Read more]

Solar photovoltaics are now cheaper than plants fired by coal and natural gas in most nations, the Paris-based researchers concludes in its annual report on global energy trends. Those cheaper costs along with government efforts to slash climate-damaging emissions will increasingly push coal off the grid and give renewables 80 per cent of the market for new power generation by 2030, the IEA says.[Read more]