Is there Still a Need for Coal after COVID-19?

By Gabrielle Gervacio | July 30, 2020
Staff Writer

The infamous polluted skies and bustling streets of Manila have become a thing of the past in just a matter of months as we face the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the environment. Air quality has improved and greenhouse gas emissions have dropped in most of Luzon due to the decrease in transportation and the suspension of factories and businesses.

COVID-19 has given us a glimpse of what the world could be, leaving investors wondering if there still is a place for the dirty fossil fuel industry to survive post-pandemic.

Coal has been one of the leading energy resources for decades fueling 38% of the world’s electricity. Although it is the cheapest fossil fuel available in the market today, it is among the biggest contributors to global warming. So why is it still used despite its harmful effects?

The carbon-rich rock is abundant, provides jobs, and offers financial incentives. Nonetheless, it has become clear that its disadvantages outweigh its benefits. Compared to its inexhaustible alternatives, such as solar and geothermal energy, coal poses severe health and environmental hazards. Lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic have sped up the plunge in electricity demand by 30% in Luzon alone and 5% internationally.

The Philippines has already expressed favor to move away from coal. Back in 2019, President Duterte stated that the government recognizes the “urgent need to ensure sustainability” and “to reduce dependence on coal.”

The country already has huge renewable energy potential and an excessive coal mining capacity, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). While companies like Meralco continue their support for coal, others like Ayala Corps plan to completely drop coal and finance natural energy by 2030.

Coal production in the U.S. dropped by 22%, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the first time in 130 years, the US has generated more energy from renewable resources than fossil fuels. Elsewhere, Austria entirely shifted to non-polluting alternatives, especially hydropower and solar energy, after shuttering its last coal power plant.

Aside from the crisis, international recognition for environmental activists like Greta Thunberg and cheaper eco-friendly renewables have also been real game-changers, driving mining investors to cut back funding projects worldwide.

Although several power plants acknowledge the realistic need to shift to renewables, getting rid of coal can’t happen overnight. As students, we can do our part by educating ourselves and others about the importance to make this change last after COVID-19. There's still a long way to go in eliminating reliance on fossil fuels to achieve a 100% sustainable future.