Why ‘Clean Coal’ Is Being Embraced and Questioned

The words “clean coal” are repeated frequently by industry executives and politicians, notably U.S. President Donald Trump. Often used to defuse concerns about greenhouse gas pollution, the moniker is meant to give the impression that the dirtiest of the fossil fuels has cleaned up its act. That’s an exaggeration, at best. While dozens of plants promoted as “clean coal” are being built across Asia, in Europe and the Americas, environmentalists, scientists and even some investors argue that the world can’t keep burning any form of the fuel without causing irreparable damage to the planet.

It’s a marketing phrase coined by the industry that encompasses several different technologies designed to reduce the harmful effects of relying on coal to make energy. They include burning coal at a higher temperature to squeeze more energy out of the fuel so less is used, and scrubbing sulfur and nitrogen oxides out of it to reduce the harmful pollutants released into the atmosphere. The phrase can also refer to the act of taking carbon dioxide spewed out by power plants from the air and burying it deep underground.