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Why are China and India still burning so much coal?

Jul 31, 2023
A new report from the International Energy Agency shows global demand for coal reached a record level in 2022 — and it’s not likely to go down any time soon.
Countries like India and China rely on coal for two big reasons: It’s usually cheap and available, said Sanya Carley, a professor of energy policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images

So much for coal's "comeback"

Apr 20, 2023
Coal-fired electricity generation was down more than 25% and hit a first-quarter low in the U.S.
Coal-fired electricity generation has lost its luster with natural gas prices remaining low. After Russia invaded Ukraine, some experts expected coal to enjoy a competitive edge.
Diane Desobeau/AFP via Getty Images

As natural gas prices fall, coal's comeback may be short-lived

Dec 30, 2022
The coal industry filled a gap in the global energy mix after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent natural gas prices to record highs.
The high prices of natural gas in Europe have sparked a coal comeback. But now gas prices are falling. Above, a coal-fired power plant near Halle, Germany.
Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

The current coal boom doesn't mean the industry will fire up production anytime soon

Jun 10, 2022
The price of coal has risen due to a surge in global demand. Still, signs point toward a continued decline for the U.S. coal sector.
David Byrd looks out over a large pile of coal in his backyard. He sells the pieces to customers for heating or to blacksmiths who need a higher quality than what power plants typically use.
Justin Hicks/Louisville Public Media

Could the Steel City become a silicon city? A look at a post 9/11 Pennsylvania

This weekend marks 20 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. We check in on Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed in a field. Marketplace's Nova Safo joins us from Pittsburgh.
 In Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood, which used to be majority Black, longtime businesses mix with newcomers popping up amid redevelopment spurred by tech industry growth.
Nova Safo / Marketplace

It's economics, not policy, that's hurting the coal industry

Feb 8, 2021
One energy analyst says "the reality is that the marketplace is attacking coal."
While the coal industry isn’t counting on favorable policy from the Biden administration, it’s just hoping to at least remain part of the conversation.
George Frey/Getty Images

Spain's coal industry is shutting down unprofitable plants

Oct 8, 2020
Spanish energy providers decided that refitting coal plants to reduce carbon emissions and meet EU regulations was too expensive.
With this latest round of closures, at least 1,100 jobs are at stake.
David Ramos/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Wyoming coal community imagines a new future

Jun 3, 2019
The threat of coal plant closures is making Kemmerer, Wyoming, think closely about diversification.
Mayor Tony Tomassi standing on the edge of a small residential community in Kemmerer.
Cooper McKim/Wyoming Public Radio

Why investing in coal companies may not help the people living in coal country

Jan 11, 2018
When we subsidize coal companies, does that make it back to the people living in coal country? In her reporting for Quartz, economics writer Gwynn Guilford found that the answer may be a loud, resounding “no.” For her article “The 100-year capitalist experiment that keeps Appalachia poor, sick, and stuck on coal,” Guilford reported on the […]

Canceled coal study means less data on health risks of mountaintop removal

Aug 22, 2017
The Interior Department is stopping a two-year study on the health risks of mountaintop-removal coal mining for people who live nearby. The study was looking at the connection between mining waste and reported increases in heart and lung disease, cancer and birth defects. Some see an end run around industry regulation. Industry says there’s not […]