Putting lipstick on the coal pig

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onFeb 9, 2009 @ 17:04 PST

When people argue that the use of coal and other fossil fuels is still cheaper than renewable energy they usually (and conveniently) fail to mention the external costs of fossil fuels that arenโ€™t factored into the price of burning of these dirtyย fuels.

On the Wall Street Journalโ€™s Environment Capital blog today thereโ€™s a great post explainingย how:

โ€œโ€ฆ fossil fuels remain cheaper because not all their costs are talliedโ€”and that means pollution. Traditional power plants spew particulates into the air as well as carbon dioxide, but historically the cost of that pollution was not included in the pricetag for, say, operating a coal-firedย plant.โ€

Read the entire WSJ post here:ย  AC/DC: Whatโ€™s the True Cost ofย Electricity?


This month weโ€™re giving away FREE copies Nobel Laureate Dr. Andrew Weaverโ€™s new book Keeping Our Cool: Canada in a Warmingย World.

Go here to find out more details about DeSmogBlogโ€™s monthly bookย give-away.

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