Peak Coal Could Save Thousands of Lives in China

A recently released study has found that should coal use hit its peak in China by 2020, thousands of deaths from coal related illnesses would be prevented, Reuters reported. Peak coal by 2020 would also see China cut its environmental costs and bring down its water consumption by 30 percent.
As quoted in the publication:

China’s coal demand fell for the first time in over a decade in 2014, and production also dipped 5.8 percent in the first half of this year, largely as a result of a slowdown in major downstream sectors like power, steel and cement.

But without specific measures to rein in growth, coal consumption could continue to increase until 2030, aggravating public health risks and putting pressure on China’s already strained water supplies, experts with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a U.S. environmental think tank, warned in a study released in Beijing on Thursday.

“If the timeline for the peak is set in 2020, it will benefit water resources, environment, public health, the transition to new energy sources and the creation of new green jobs,” the report said.

Click here to read the full Reuters article.