Bucking global trends, Japan again embraces coal power

[FarCenter]

Most of the world is turning its back on burning coal to produce electricity, but not Japan. The nation has fired up at least eight new coal power plants in the past 2 years and has plans for an additional 36 over the next decade—the biggest planned coal power expansion in any developed nation (not including China and India). And last month, the government took a key step toward locking in a national energy plan that would have coal provide 26% of Japan's electricity in 2030 and abandons a previous goal of slashing coal's share to 10%.

The reversal is partly a result of the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which punctured public support for atomic energy. Critics say it also reflects the government's failure to encourage investment in renewable energy. The coal revival, they say, has alarming implications for air pollution and Japan's ability to meet its pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which account for 4% of the world's total. If all the planned coal plants are built, it will "be difficult for us to meet our emissions reduction goals," Minister of the Environment Masaharu Nakagawa noted earlier this year.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/05/bucking-global-trends-japan-again-embraces-coal-power

[Vogon_Glory]

1. Yup, Shut Down Those Life-Threatening Nukes!

Coal is so much cleaner, safer, and less polluting!

[Blue_true]

2. I have enough information to know that a world shattering clean energy

invention is on the horizon. Within the next ten years, it should be a reality. Japan at that time should regret this decision. Interestingly, the clean energy invention should gut all forms of energy production, because the invention has a holy grail aspect about it. The only problem that inventors are having is conceiving an off switch, but there are ways around that problem. I know this because I am involved in some aspects of their test equipment design.