coal

Numerous studies have shown that automotive pollution has a wide range of negative health effects, including heart and lung disease. Much of the blame has been pinned on gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone, but the role of suspended particulate matter has been less clear.

Biomass — wood chips, tree parts and agricultural waste burned to generate heat and electricity — currently generates more 50% of the United States’ renewable energy production.  Because biomass is carbon neutral, it has significant advantages over fossil fuels.

As the economic output and populations of China, India and Brazil grow, the countries’ energy consumption will continue to rise. Because traditional energy sources such as oil and coal are both nonrenewable and limited, these countries are pushing to develop new forms of alternative energy. Given that the United States remains the highest per capita consumer of energy, the need for sustainable energy sources is considered by many domestically to be a vital national interest.

Coal currently provides more than half the United States’ electricity. Because burning a single ton of coal can create more than two tons of CO₂, a primary contributor to climate change, a technique known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) is under development.