Coal

Coal is used in industrial manufacturing and in electricity generation. As developing countries industrialize and their demand for power grows with their expanding economies, worldwide demand for coal increases as well. In 2003, coal accounted for 24% of world energy consumption, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects coal use to double by 2030 to meet rising demand. A key reason for this dramatic rise is the staggering pace at which large countries such as China and India (both of which have large internal deposits of coal) are industrializing and developing, and the greater and greater quantities of coal they are consuming as a result. Other countries with substantial coal deposits – the U.S., Russia, and Australia – are also benefiting from the developing world’s growing appetite for coal with export levels to China and India reaching new heights.

Not coincidentally, such drastically increasing consumption is raising larger and larger environmental concerns. In the U.S., The Clean Air Act of 1990 sought to cut sulfur levels resulting from coal production, and there is a worldwide concern about global warming resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Engineers are working on solutions to these concerns, designing new coal-fired plants and developing the air quality control systems that will result in cleaner coal-supplied power. Meanwhile, the continued growth and industrialization of two geopolitical giants means that coal consumption will remain high, new mining methods will be needed, and the demand for engineers to develop processes to reduce pollutants and contribute to a cleaner environment will remain strong.