Coal
Fuel
Coal is considered to be the worst of all fossil fuels.
For the same amount of energy, it emits:
Coal is commonly used for:
- generating electricity - (see stats)From Key World Energy Statistics 2020 (IEA report):
• 38.2% of the world's electricity is generated by coal.
• 27.5% of the USA's electricity is generated from coal.
• 26.9% of the world's total energy supply(...)( all energy sources, including fuels regardless of whether they're used for electricity or not ) is from coal. - generating heat needed in some forms of manufacturing
Non-fuel uses
Coal is used in making asphalt for paving roads. It's also used for making hundreds of different chemicals - including ones that are harmless and essential to modern society. [EXAMPLE needed]
Non-fuel usage is a tiny fraction of coal consumption. [QUANTIFICATION needed] It does not contribute to climate change
Mining
Mining for coal can also involve major ecological destruction, such as mountain top removal.