Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Mar 4, 2020 16:02:13 GMT 2
(#A.060).- USA, les fermetures de centrales à charbon sauvent des milliers de vies. 2020.
Aux USA, les fermetures de centrales à charbon sauvent des milliers de vies.
By: Brice Louvet, science editor
January 15, 2020, 11:20 a.m.
A coal-fired power plant in Glenrock, Wyoming.
Credits: J David Ake / AP
Coal plant closings are good for the environment, but not only. Thousands of lives and cultures have been saved in the United States.
Coal-fired electricity production is declining in the United States. In fact, more than 330 production units were taken offline between 2005 and 2016. At the same time, more than 600 units powered by natural gas were installed and activated. Jennifer Burney, a researcher at the University of California (United States), took advantage of this energy transition to study the local impacts of shutdowns of coal-fired power plants.
To do this, the researcher combined data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on electric power generation with satellite measurements taken by NASA. It also studied the evolution of mortality rates in the counties affected by these plant closings using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as crop yields in these regions.
Over 26,000 lives saved
After analyzing the data, the researcher suggests that between 2005 and 2016, the switch to gas reduced the levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by 60% and 80%, respectively.
As a result, more than 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have been saved. The human and agricultural balance sheets are also significant. During the same period, she estimates that shutdowns of coal-fired power plants have saved more than 26,000 lives and 570 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat.
Conversely, it also estimates that coal-fired plants left in service during the same period contributed to 329,417 premature deaths and the loss of 10.2 billion bushels of crops.
"We hear a lot about the global economic impacts inherent in the transition from coal to natural gas, but decisions on a smaller scale can also have really important local consequences," explains the researcher. The analysis provides a framework for further assessing the costs and benefits of local investment in energy infrastructure. "
The Navajo, Arizona power plant stopped operating in November 2019.
Credits: King of hearts / Wikimedia Commons
Methane leaks also worry
It is also worth remembering that the exploitation of natural gas is also not very "clean". These units do emit less carbon dioxide than coal-fired power plants, but they do release methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
It is estimated that almost 8% of production escapes from shale gas wells, due to deliberate releases and burns or ill-fitting fittings in distribution networks.
Details of the study are published in : Nature Sustainability.
F I N .
Aux USA, les fermetures de centrales à charbon sauvent des milliers de vies.
By: Brice Louvet, science editor
January 15, 2020, 11:20 a.m.
A coal-fired power plant in Glenrock, Wyoming.
Credits: J David Ake / AP
Coal plant closings are good for the environment, but not only. Thousands of lives and cultures have been saved in the United States.
Coal-fired electricity production is declining in the United States. In fact, more than 330 production units were taken offline between 2005 and 2016. At the same time, more than 600 units powered by natural gas were installed and activated. Jennifer Burney, a researcher at the University of California (United States), took advantage of this energy transition to study the local impacts of shutdowns of coal-fired power plants.
To do this, the researcher combined data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on electric power generation with satellite measurements taken by NASA. It also studied the evolution of mortality rates in the counties affected by these plant closings using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as crop yields in these regions.
Over 26,000 lives saved
After analyzing the data, the researcher suggests that between 2005 and 2016, the switch to gas reduced the levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide by 60% and 80%, respectively.
As a result, more than 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have been saved. The human and agricultural balance sheets are also significant. During the same period, she estimates that shutdowns of coal-fired power plants have saved more than 26,000 lives and 570 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat.
Conversely, it also estimates that coal-fired plants left in service during the same period contributed to 329,417 premature deaths and the loss of 10.2 billion bushels of crops.
"We hear a lot about the global economic impacts inherent in the transition from coal to natural gas, but decisions on a smaller scale can also have really important local consequences," explains the researcher. The analysis provides a framework for further assessing the costs and benefits of local investment in energy infrastructure. "
The Navajo, Arizona power plant stopped operating in November 2019.
Credits: King of hearts / Wikimedia Commons
Methane leaks also worry
It is also worth remembering that the exploitation of natural gas is also not very "clean". These units do emit less carbon dioxide than coal-fired power plants, but they do release methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
It is estimated that almost 8% of production escapes from shale gas wells, due to deliberate releases and burns or ill-fitting fittings in distribution networks.
Details of the study are published in : Nature Sustainability.
F I N .
