A University of California San Diego study, published in Nature Sustainability, estimates that the US shut down of its coal-fired power plants saved approximately 26,610 millions of bushels of crop and saved around 2005 as well as 2016. lives. American’s shift from coal-fired power plants to natural gas has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and has had a positive impact on local polluting levels in many parts of the country. This study examined the effects of shutting down coal-fired units in local areas. Jennifer Burney is an associate professor of environment science at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. She used NASA data and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) data to determine the changes in pollution levels before and after shutting down coal-fired units. By closing down coal-fired power plants, pollution levels in nearby areas were reduced. This resulted in fewer deaths and less health issues such as respiratory problems or heart disease. Burney discovered that between 2005 & 2016,, the shut down of coal-fired plants saved approximately 26,610 millions of bushels of wheat, corn and soybeans in their immediate surroundings. Burney stated that this research is unique because it connects discrete technology changes (like a shutting down an electric power plant) to regional health, agricultural and climate impacts. We hear much about the economic and greenhouse gas impacts that the U.S. transition from coal to natural gas has had on its economy, but it is the small-scale changes that have significant local implications. This analysis gives communities a way to better assess local energy infrastructure investments’ costs and benefits. Burney says that policymakers tend to view greenhouse gas emissions in isolation from pollution. However, the processes that produce climate change can also create aerosols and ozone and other harmful compounds. The study gives a better accounting of the entire range of emissions that are associated with electricity power generation. It could lead to better mitigation efforts and the formation of new alliances across sectoral beneficiaries if we know more about things like coal and their true costs. Journal Citation Burney J.A. “The effects of transitioning from coal to natural gasoline on downstream air quality in the United States.” Nat Sustain (2020) doi 10. 1038/s41893-019-0453-5 You may be interested in: “What is pollution?”
