Dear Quartz members—
Over the last 30 years, India has made impressive strides in growing its economy and lifting millions out of poverty. But that progress has come at a cost, as India’s consumption of coal has increased by 500% over the same period. The greenhouse gas emissions all that coal is spewing into the atmosphere could mean that even if every other country met its emissions targets, India could single-handedly bring on catastrophic climate change.
For the world, then, India’s success at scaling back its coal use and switching to renewable sources of energy is critical. For India, it’s a little more complicated. Some 55% of the country’s energy comes from burning coal, powering its economic gains. The fuel is also a major source of revenue for India’s railway network, which subsidizes passenger fares with the money it makes from hauling coal from mines to power plants. On top of that, coal supplements federal coffers. As a majority owner of both the national coal mining company and the national power company, the government is able to tap billions of dollars in revenue to spend on programs it deems important. Giving up coal isn’t really in the cards.
Our new field guide this week, by senior reporter Akshat Rathi and reporter Kuwar Singh, examines why India’s use of coal grew to such a large scale and what it will take to wean the country off its coal dependence. Along the way, they uncover some encouraging signs. Fewer new coal plants are coming online, for example, and the cost of coal-based energy is rising. Meanwhile, technologies to harness renewable sources of energy are getting cheaper. As a result, India is already slowing the rate of growth of its coal consumption. Looking ahead, how India balances its short-term economic needs with support for a nascent renewables industry is an act the whole world will be watching.
TO DISCUSS WITH FRIENDS OVER DINNER…
Here are a few conversation starters from our guide:
- Coal India Limited, or CIL, is the largest coal-mining company in the world, producing about 10% of global output and more than 60% of the coal India consumes. It also accounts for 1.71% of all global emissions since 1965.
- Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest employers. Almost a third of its $25 billion in annual revenue comes from transporting more than 60% of all the coal consumed in India.
- India is now the second-largest producer and consumer of coal in the world, ahead of the US but behind China. On a per capita basis, China consumes four times as much coal and the US consumes three times as much as India does.
…OR WITH US, ON FRIDAY, ON THIS CALL
Join us for a discussion on Friday at 10:00am ET with Akshat and Quartz science editor Katie Palmer, as they examine what the rest of the world can learn from India’s efforts to meet its citizens’ growing demand for energy while alleviating the future impact of climate change. We’ll be taking questions and comments live on the video conference call, accessible at the usual location. If you’d like to dial in, use the following numbers:
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For all of the numbers, the access code is 722 994 440.
OTHER MEMBER CALLS THIS WEEK
Wed., Oct. 23, 11:00am ET: Quartz global finance and economics editor Jason Karaian, and deputy news editors Hasit Shah and Rashmee Roshan Lall gather to dissect the latest Brexit developments.
Thu., Oct. 24, 11:00am ET: Senior reporter Tim Fernholz joins us live from the world’s biggest space conference, the 70th International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC.
(To add our complete schedule of upcoming conference calls to your Google calendar, click here.)
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Best wishes for a productive week,
Xana Antunes,
Executive editor, Quartz