Why can’t India all of a sudden stop the usage of Coal?

When it comes to the environmental aspects of energy consumption, coal is the least desirable of the major fossil fuels. Coal when used releases CO2 emissions that lead to climate effects and this means a rapid departure of coal from the face of this earth. 

One might suggest an idea, 

“Then let’s just stop using coal and use its alternatives” 

Then a question arises, 

What are its alternatives?

Coal-fired power can be substituted with relative ease with natural gas-fired power to a good extent. Nuclear power, especially when accompanied by natural gas-based generation. Both options are more costly (with the U.S. being a significant exception) but cleaner in terms of CO2 emissions. It is also possible to substitute coal with renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro and solar.

Are they that easy to put into use? 

We all know that nuclear is more costly than gas, which experiences other limitations related to a very high upfront cost, nuclear waste concerns, and operational risks. Energy sources such as wind and solar are intermittent and this substitution cannot be complete unless other non-intermittent sources (i.e. natural

gas, nuclear, hydro) are operating to provide backup power or there is rapid access to storage readily available. Hydroelectricity, the one large-scale renewable source of energy, is not always a good substitute either, since not all countries have hydropower potential and it is also not without environmental concern as it disrupts local ecosystems and can strain local communities. 

Now there’s a deadlock and we know that we cannot use alternatives everywhere or just stop using coal. 

What was the global coal consumption and what insight does this data give us?

Through a study, it was revealed that the share of coal in the global energy mix is decreasing and will continue to decrease through 2040. This is due to several factors including cheaper natural gas available from new sources of supply, such as the U.S., Australia, and Qatar, and deliberate policy choices that promote cleaner energy sources.

But this is just one side of the story. More granular analysis reveals why this is the case. A decrease in coal consumption takes place in the developed (OECD, 2018) world, particularly in Europe and North America. However, this decline

is compensated by growth in coal consumption in developing economies, particularly in Asia. 

Why is this happening?

Well… this is because of development. 

This is because developing countries like India have to use coal as the other alternatives are relatively new and very costly. As societies move from agricultural to industrialized, their need for energy increases, often manifold. Access to affordable energy sources becomes a key to economic growth. As such, coal fits the bill quite well. Not only is coal generally cheaper than its alternatives, but it is also more spread out geographically and available domestically in many developing countries, which precludes potential geopolitical meddling by a foreign power. In addition, coal mining employs a well-established, relatively simple technology with an end product that is easy to transport and store. The coal industry is also labour intensive, an advantage in the developing world where a cheap labour force is supported by a booming population. Even though coal generates more pollution than other sources of energy, the concern is often of secondary importance to many people in developing countries living in utter poverty and lacking access to food, clean water, medical care, let alone any reliable energy source.

So is it right to suggest that developing countries like India completely stop using coal?

Being India’s E-Gen ambassador, I would like to give a statement. 

My statement: 

We are still a developing nation and we just cannot cut down the usage of coal. We are a country that got independence 75 years ago unlike one of the developed countries which is using coal since the 1880s to generate electricity for homes and factories. We still need to develop. Cutting down on carbon emissions cannot be widely done until we overcome the developing stage and become developed. We understand the current situation and we are fighting our battle against climate change by various other means.

It’s important to understand that as many as four million people are employed directly and indirectly in India's coal industry, according to a recent report from the Brookings Institution, livelihood for millions is directly associated with this industry.

India still ranks at No 4 with 2.5 Gigatons of Annual Emissions with a 1.4 Billion Population whereas the developed countries which can exponentially cut down on coal usage and have the opportunity to embrace new alternatives, sit way higher in the Annual Carbon Emissions List by Global Carbon Project 2018. 

In the last decade, India's coal consumption has nearly doubled. The country continues to import large quantities of coal and is planning to open dozens of new mines in the coming years. But an average Indian still consumes far less power than people of developed nations. 

However, it’s a matter of time that developing countries like India will also increasingly embrace other alternatives. India is also making the shift to cleaner energy, with an ambitious target to draw 40% of its installed electric power from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

In the end, we all want to fight climate change and make this world a better place to live.