Recent Gund Ph.D. graduate Samir Doshi was recently part of a multi-authored publication lead by Paul Epstein of the Harvard School of Public Health. Published in the Ecological Economics Reviews -- an annual journal co-founded by Gund Fellow and former director Bob Costanza and Gund Ph.D. graduate Ida Kubiszewski as part of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences -- the study concludes that:
... the best estimate for the total economically quantifiable costs, based on a conservative weighting of many of the study findings, amount to some $345.3 billion, adding close to 17.8¢/kWh of electricity generated from coal. The low estimate is $175 billion, or over 9¢/kWh, while the true monetizable costs could be as much as the upper bounds of $523.3 billion, adding close to 26.89¢/kWh.
The paper concludes with a set of 8 recommendations:
- Comprehensive comparative analyses of life cycle costs of all electricity generation technologies and practices are needed to guide the development of future energy policies.
- Begin phasing out coal and phasing in cleanly powered smart grids, using place-appropriate alternative energy sources.
- A healthy energy future can include electric vehicles, plugged into cleanly powered smart grids; and healthy cities initiatives, including green buildings, roof-top gardens, public transport, and smart growth.
- Alternative industrial and farming policies are needed for coal-field regions, to support the manufacture and installation of solar, wind, small-scale hydro, and smart grid technologies. Rural electric co-ops can help in meeting consumer demands.
- We must end MTR mining, reclaim all MTR sites and abandoned mine lands, and ensure that local water sources are safe for consumption.
- Funds are needed for clean enterprises, reclamation, and water treatment.
- Fund-generating methods include: (a) maintaining revenues from the workers’ compensation coal tax; (b) increasing coal severance tax rates; (c) increasing fees on coal haul trucks and trains; (d) reforming the structure of credits and taxes to remove misaligned incentives; and (e) reforming federal and state subsidies to incentivize clean technology infrastructure.
- To transform our energy infrastructure, we must realign federal and state rules, regulations, and rewards to stimulate manufacturing of and markets for clean and efficient energy systems. Such a transformation would be beneficial for our health, for the environment, for sustained economic health, and would contribute to stabilizing the global climate.
This research has already been reported on through many press outlets. A few links to stories include:
http://blog.algore.com/2011/02/the_triple_cost_of_coal.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/tallying-coals-hidden-cost/?partner=rss&emc=rss
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/18/idUS163496100220110218
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/devastating-cost-coal-interview-paul-epstein.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/coal-costs-us-study_n_824004.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-cooper/harvard-study-coal-costs-_b_831755.html
http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/intelligent-energy/the-real-cost-of-coal-power/4850/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-home-living/coals-hidden-cost-345-billion.aspx
To watch a short interview with Samir highlighting his related research at the Gund Institute, link to the YouTube video above. To read the full published paper, link to the Wiley Online Library here.