Asian Drive of Coal Plants Threatens Goals of Climate Conservation

Jul, 2021 - By SMI

India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and Japan are planning of building over six hundred coal plants.

Five countries in Asia are accountable for over 80 % of latest power stations of coal planned globally, with these projects threatening the goals of fighting climate crisis. India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and Japan are planning of building over six hundred coal plants, said the study by Carbon Tracker. These stations would be capable of generating an energy sum of 300 GW—equal to over Japan’s entire capacity of electricity generating.

These plans are being designed despite availability of renewables at cheap rates, and hence they threaten the efforts of meeting the goal of Paris climate deal of limiting global warming near 1.5 °C, the study stated. Experts observe coal’s rolling out, which produces the GHG carbon dioxide, as key to battle the climate crisis which impacts right from extinction of species to unlivable heat—are projected to accelerate. However, several countries of the region of Asia-Pacific, long reliant upon the fossil fuels for powering their flourishing economies, are being slow at act, even as the United States and Europe quicken their transitions towards a cleaner energy. The Asia-Pacific consumed above three quarters of total coal used worldwide in 2019, as per the world energy’s statistical review by BP. China, the biggest consumer of coal and emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, dominates the countries list that are planning latest coal plants, as per the Carbon Tracker. In its pipeline it includes 368 power stations with 187 GW capacity, said the think-tank—despite the President Xi Jinping’s pledge that China would convert carbon neutral till 2060.

India, second-largest consumer of coal, is planning around 92 plants having about 60 GW capacity, as per think-tank, based in London, which focuses over the energy transition’s impact upon financial markets. Indonesia aims at 107 latest plants, with Vietnam 41, along with Japan 14, it stated.