Europeans crazy for coal
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Stateside, many Americans are tired of hearing how much greener the Continent is. A New York Times story, however, has just arrived to turn that conventional wisdom on its head. At least when the concern is coal.
European countries plan to build 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years. And those plants could stay in operation for the next 50 years. So if you do the math, that is a ton of potential carbon emissions.
Furthermore, suggests the Times article, Europe’s carbon trading scheme has failed by essentially giving away the permits to pollute. The additional cost to carbon is insignificant during these times of skyrocketing oil prices.
By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York