微顆粒就是影響PM2.5,柴油的微顆粒和燒煤影響一樣;
美國有44%的電力是燒煤·產生的,燒煤汙染更可怕,如果按有些人的理論就不能用電了。
幾乎所有的人都用電,因此都有貢獻;
包括你開電動車好像環保,但不是沒有汙染,但是實際上電力還是有汙染,包括微顆粒。
這裏有一些政治原因了。
燒煤汙染更可怕,美國當務之急應該解決汙染問題是這個:
coal power: air pollution
Environmental impacts of coal power: air pollution
Coal plants are the nation’s top source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the primary cause of global warming. In 2011, utility coal plants in the United States emitted a total of 1.7 billion tons of CO21. A typical coal plant generates 3.5 million tons of CO2 per year2.
Burning coal is also a leading cause of smog, acid rain, and toxic air pollution. Some emissions can be significantly reduced with readily available pollution controls, but most U.S. coal plants have not installed these technologies.
- Sulfur dioxide (SO2): Coal plants are the United States’ leading source of SO2 pollution, which takes a major toll on public health, including by contributing to the formation of small acidic particulates that can penetrate into human lungs and be absorbed by the bloodstream. SO2 also causes acid rain, which damages crops, forests, and soils, and acidifies lakes and streams. A typical uncontrolled coal plant emits 14,100 tons of SO2 per year. A typical coal plant with emissions controls, including flue gas desulfurization (smokestack scrubbers), emits 7,000 tons of SO2 per year.
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx): NOx pollution causes ground level ozone, or smog, which can burn lung tissue, exacerbate asthma, and make people more susceptible to chronic respiratory diseases. A typical uncontrolled coal plant emits 10,300 tons of NOx per year. A typical coal plant with emissions controls, including selective catalytic reduction technology, emits 3,300 tons of NOx per year.
- Particulate matter: Particulate matter (also referred to as soot or fly ash) can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze obstructing visibility. A typical uncontrolled plan emits 500 tons of small airborne particles each year. Baghouses installed inside coal plant smokestacks can capture as much as 99 percent of the particulates.
- Mercury: Coal plants are responsible for more than half of the U.S. human-caused emissions of mercury, a toxic heavy metal that causes brain damage and heart problems. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. A typical uncontrolled coal plants emits approximately 170 pounds of mercury each year. Activated carbon injection technology can reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent when combined with baghouses. ACI technology is currently found on just 8 percent of the U.S. coal fleet.
Other harmful pollutants emitted annually from a typical, uncontrolled coal plant include approximately:
- 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium. Baghouses can reduce heavy metal emissions by up to 90 percent3.
- 720 tons of carbon monoxide, which causes headaches and places additional stress on people with heart disease.
- 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone.
- 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
Year | Electrical Generation from Coal * |
Total Electrical Generation |
% from Coal |
Number of Coal Plants |
2002 | 1,933,130 | 3,858,452 | 50.1% | 633 |
2003 | 1,973,737 | 3,883,185 | 50.8% | 629 |
2004 | 1,978,301 | 3,970,555 | 49.8% | 625 |
2005 | 2,012,873 | 4,055,423 | 49.6% | 619 |
2006 | 1,990,511 | 4,064,702 | 49.0% | 616 |
2007 | 2,016,456 | 4,156,745 | 48.5% | 606 |
2008 | 1,985,801 | 4,119,388 | 48.2% | 598 |
2009 | 1,755,904 | 3,950,331 | 44.4% | 593 |
2010 | 1,847,290 | 4,125,060 | 44.8% | 580 |
2011 | 1,733,430 | 4,100,141 | 42.3% | 589 |
2012 | 1,514,043 | 4,047,765 | 37.4% | 557 |
2013 | 1,581,115 | 4,065,964 | 38.9% | 518 |
* in thousand megawatthours. Source: Energy Information Agency, Electric Power Annual Report 2012 (March 2015); tables 4.1 and 3.1A |