Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017

Level 3

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1 Warmer
Answer these questions before reading. What type of energy do you use to heat your home? provide light? make hot water? cook with?

2 Key words
a. Read the key words and discuss their meaning (cover the definitions part of this task below while you talk about the words). abundant extracted quota acid rain fossil fuel renaissance consumption permits shale gas emissions pollutants surplus

b. Now write the key words next to their dictionary definitions. How similar are they to the meanings you discussed? Then, find the words in the article to read them in context. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. substances, especially gas, that go into the air __________________ gas produced from a type of smooth dark rock that breaks into thin layers __________________ the use of something such as fuel or energy, or the amount that people use __________________ existing or available in large quantities __________________ when a substance is removed from another substance __________________ coal or oil, made from decayed material from animals or plants that lived many thousands of years ago __________________ rain containing a high level of a chemical substance with a ph of less than 7 that can damage the environment __________________ substances that are harmful to the environment __________________ an amount of something that someone is officially allowed to have or do __________________

10. official documents that give you permission to do something __________________ 11. more of something than is necessary __________________ 12. new interest in something that makes it popular again __________________

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2013 NEWS LESSONS / Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017 / Advanced

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Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017

Level 3

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7 With the highest carbon emissions of any major fossil fuel, coal is a huge contributor to climate change, particularly when burned in old-fashioned, inefficient power stations. When these are not equipped with special scrubbing equipment to remove chemicals, coal can also produce sulphur emissions the leading cause of acid rain and other pollutants such as mercury and soot particles. 8 Van der Hoeven said that, without a high carbon price to discourage the growth in coal use and encourage cleaner technologies such as renewable power generation, only competition from lower-priced gas could realistically cut demand for coal. This has happened in the US, owing to the extraordinary increase in the production of shale gas in that market in the past five years. 9 She said: The US experience suggests that a more efficient gas market, marked by flexible pricing and fuelled by indigenous unconventional resources that are produced sustainably, can reduce coal use, carbon dioxide emissions and consumers electricity bills. Europe, China and other regions should take note. 10 That would mean producing much more shale gas, as conventional gas resources are running down in their easily accessible locations. 11 In Europe, the Emissions Trading Scheme was supposed to discourage high-carbon power generation by imposing a price on carbon dioxide emissions. This was done through issuing generators and energy-intensive companies with a set quota of emissions permits, requiring them to buy extra permits if they needed to emit more than their allowance. But an over-allocation, coupled with the effects of the financial crisis and recession, has led to a large surplus of permits on the market, which has in turn led to a plunge in permit prices. At current levels a few euros per tonne of carbon there is little incentive to seek out lower carbon fuels, and coal is enjoying a renaissance in Europe. 12 That means one of the worlds only regulatory market mechanisms aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions is failing in its key goals. The world faces the likelihood of an increased risk of climate change as a result of this runaway consumption of the highest carbon fossil fuel.
Guardian News and Media 2012
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Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017, says IEA

Agency predicts further rise in coal use due to fall in price and failing EU Emissions Trading Scheme, threatening green targets Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent 18 December, 2012 1 Coal is likely to rival oil as the worlds biggest source of energy in the next five years, with potentially disastrous consequences for the climate, according to the worlds leading authority on energy economics. 2 One of the biggest factors behind the rise in coal use has been the massive increase in the use of shale gas in the US. 3 New research from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that coal consumption is increasing all over the world even in countries and regions with carbon-cutting targets except in the US, where shale gas has displaced coal. The decline of coal consumption in the US has helped to cut prices for coal globally. This has made it more attractive, even in Europe where coal use was supposed to be discouraged by the Emissions Trading Scheme. 4 Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the IEA, said: Coals share of the global energy mix continues to grow each year and, if no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade. 5 Coal is abundant and found in most regions of the world, unlike conventional oil and gas, and can be cheaply extracted. As a result, coal was used to meet nearly half of the rise in demand for energy globally in the past decade. According to the IEA, demand from China and India will drive world coal use in the coming five years, with India likely to overtake the US as the worlds second biggest consumer. China is the biggest coal importer, and Indonesia the biggest exporter, having temporarily overtaken Australia. 6 According to the IEAs Medium-Term Coal Market Report the world will burn 1.2bn more tonnes of coal per year by 2017 compared with today the equivalent of the current coal consumption of Russia and the US combined. Global coal consumption is forecast to reach 4.3bn tonnes of oil equivalent by 2017, while oil consumption is forecast to reach 4.4bn tonnes by the same date.
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2013

First published in The Guardian, 18/12/12

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NEWS LESSONS / Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017 / Advanced

Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017

Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check
Answer these questions using information from the article. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Which country is producing shale gas for its own consumption? How has this affected the coal prices in the rest of the world? Why is coal heavily linked to increased carbon emissions? What other environmental damage can be caused by burning coal? Why is shale gas looking more attractive? Why is the European initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions not working? What is the likely environmental consequence of increased coal consumption?

4 Multi-word expressions
Put the words in the correct order to make expressions from the article. Use your own words to talk about what they mean in the context of the article. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. consequences potentially disastrous mix global energy the meet rise demand in generation power renewable easily locations accessible companies intensive energy market regulatory mechanisms gas emissions greenhouse

5 Discussion
How many energy providers are there where you live? Can you choose where to buy your electricity and gas? Have you changed your energy provider(s) in the past ten years? Why? Why not? Are there big price differences among the providers? How have energy prices changed in the past five years? How has this affected you personally? Where do you think you are likely to get energy from in the future?

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2013 NEWS LESSONS / Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017 / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017

Level 3

Advanced

6 Webquest
Find information to write into the table below. type of energy where it is sourced from (geographically and geologically) advantages disadvantages

coal

oil

gas

green energy

biofuels

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2013 NEWS LESSONS / Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017 / Advanced

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Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017

Level 3 KEY

Advanced

2 Key words
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. emissions shale gas consumption abundant extracted fossil fuel acid rain pollutants quota permits surplus renaissance

4 Multi-word expressions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. potentially disastrous consequences global energy mix meet the rise in demand renewable power generation easily accessible locations energy-intensive companies regulatory market mechanisms greenhouse gas emissions

6 Webquest
Teachers note: Websites that can help with this task are plentiful. Here are just a few. http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/ http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/energyefficiency/choosing-between-electricity-gas-andsolar http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/shale-gas

3 Comprehension check
1. 2. 3. the USA It has cut the price of coal globally. It produces high carbon emmisions, especially when it is burned in old-fashioned power stations that are not equipped with scrubbing equipment. It can contribute to the production of acid rain, mercury and soot particles. It is easy to find and extract while conventional gas sources are running out. It is also cheaper for the end consumer. An over-allloctaion of permits has led to the price of the permits falling drastically. This provides little financial incentive to look for alternative energy sources. climate change

4. 5.

6.

7.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2013

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NEWS LESSONS / Coal to challenge oils dominance by 2017 / Advanced

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