Marketplace®
Every story is an economic story

The history of coal as a brand

Coal may be synonymous with pollution but as coal historian Barbara Freese found, that wasn’t always the case.

New numbers show that China’s coal production will likely grow about 3 percent this year, despite a government campaign to cut air pollution.

Coal’s history has been intertwined with growth, the industrial age, and lately, pollution and climate change. Barbara Freese is the author of Coal: A Human History, and discusses the history of coal as a brand.

Related Topics

Collections:

Latest Episodes

View All Shows
  • Marketplace
    an hour ago
    25:22
  • Marketplace Morning Report
    8 hours ago
    7:09
  • Million Bazillion
    13 hours ago
    30:57
  • Marketplace Tech
    13 hours ago
    12:45
  • This Is Uncomfortable
    6 days ago
    28:44
  • Make Me Smart
    4 months ago
    24:33