I think the continued growth in coal fired power plants is just reality and for the countries building them it is not as simple an equation as just considering carbon emissions. I do a lot of work in India and have seen first hand the massive change in living standards simply from having reliable energy - education levels improve because kids can study at night with lighting (something many of us take for granted) and even having enough power to run a cheap computer opens up a world of opportunities for impoverished people - I met one guy who used to sell hand made hair clips at the local market and now exports them to customers all over the world because his village got electricity and a few computers connected to the internet - this is life changing for these people.

I have been working in developing low emissions energy technology for almost 2 decades which has included carbon capture technology for coal fired power plants. I have built 4 pilot scale systems on black and brown coal power stations including a unit in Beijing. CCS technology works and the carbon emissions from coal fired power stations can be dealt with but at the moment what is missing is a regulatory requirement for power companies to do anything about it. Coal will be around for many decades to come whether we like it or not so lets get on with planning the solutions rather than throwing our hands in the air in exasperation.

Money trumps life don’t cha know.