COAL

COAL POWER

In the US and in Canada coal burning power plants are the largest generators of electricity. This is a HUGE concern because these coal-fired power plants, some built more than 50 years ago, are also the single largest source of pollution in North America. Here are the facts:

• In 1 year a single coal power plant creates 3.7 million tones of carbon dioxide.

That number may not mean much right away, but think of it this way, creating 3.7 million tones of CO2 is equivalent to cutting down 161 million trees! Considering that there are more than 600 coal-fired power plants in the US alone this means that each year these plants pump out 2.2 billion tones of CO2 or 97 billion trees.

• Also in 1 year a single coal power plant produces 10,200 tones of Nitrogen Oxide, another greenhouse gas that creates smog and inflames lungs.

This number is equivalent to the yearly emissions of 500 000 late model cars. Want to know how many cars all of the coal power plants in the US are equivalent to? Try 300 million. That’s more than the total number of vehicles in the US! Think of it, all the cars and trucks in all of the US still create less pollution than the 600 coal power plants.