homehome Home chatchat Notifications


US exiting from the Paris Agreement seems to harm coal more than help it

Screwing the country and the planet in an attempt to make more money... and you're not even making more money.

Mihai Andrei
June 1, 2017 @ 7:48 pm

share Share

Although President Trump hasn’t made an official statement, the world is now waiting for him to make the announcement. He might surprise us and not take a completely reckless decision, but the odds are against it — after all, he’s publicly stated he wants to do it several times, and until now, he’s done everything in his power to support the fossil industry big boys, regardless of the costs. But the market has spoken otherwise.

Whether we like it or not, the coal industry is losing more and more ground.

Right after the rumor went out that Trump would back away from the Paris deal, U.S. renewable shares started dipping. After all, the president and his administration are leading an all-out war on renewable energy, so that’s expected. But unexpectedly, coal company shares also started dipping. Basically, the international backlash is expected to be so severe that it will dramatically affect coal companies, even if they’re supported from within, by the government. Peabody Energy, the largest publicly traded U.S. coal company dropped 2.2 percent, while Arch Coal fell 0.4 percent.

A spokesman for Peabody said the company supports Trump in his bid to withdraw from the pact. But here’s the thing — fossil fuel companies are pretty much the only ones against the Paris Agreement. If anything, many people believe the pact should be even more ambitious (including yours truly). According to the agreement, all countries have a national responsibility to reduce their emissions, and in the vast majority of cases, this involves replacing as much fossil fuel as possible with renewables. Naturally, some companies would lose money, and this is why they’re against it.

But even so, many fossil fuel companies support the Paris Agreement.

“For us, our position on the Paris agreement… we need a framework like that to address the risks of climate change,” Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

The good thing is that no matter what the US President decides to do, the renewable industry will continue to grow. It will be a hit, yes, and a significant setback, but renewable energy is getting cheaper, and it’s more beneficial to the economy than the fossil fuel industry — let alone the environment.

“Regardless of what the President decides on the accord, we expect America’s solar industry to continue to thrive and create jobs, boost the economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the Solar Energy Industries Association said in a statement.

 

share Share

This Plastic Dissolves in Seawater and Leaves Behind Zero Microplastics

Japanese scientists unveil a material that dissolves in hours in contact with salt, leaving no trace behind.

Women Rate Women’s Looks Higher Than Even Men

Across cultures, both sexes find female faces more attractive—especially women.

AI-Based Method Restores Priceless Renaissance Art in Under 4 Hours Rather Than Months

A digital mask restores a 15th-century painting in just hours — not centuries.

Meet the Dragon Prince: The Closest Known Ancestor to T-Rex

This nimble dinosaur may have sparked the evolution of one of the deadliest predators on Earth.

Your Breathing Is Unique and Can Be Used to ID You Like a Fingerprint

Your breath can tell a lot more about you that you thought.

In the UK, robotic surgery will become the default for small surgeries

In a decade, the country expects 90% of all keyhole surgeries to include robots.

Bioengineered tooth "grows" in the gum and fuses with existing nerves to mimic the real thing

Implants have come a long way. But we can do even better.

The Real Singularity: AI Memes Are Now Funnier, On Average, Than Human Ones

People still make the funniest memes but AI is catching up fast.

Scientists Turn Timber Into SuperWood: 50% Stronger Than Steel and 90% More Environmentally Friendly

This isn’t your average timber.

A Massive Particle Blasted Through Earth and Scientists Think It Might Be The First Detection of Dark Matter

A deep-sea telescope may have just caught dark matter in action for the first time.