The study found that coal is the most expensive energy when “externalized costs” are factored in. These are the costs of coal use paid for by society, rather than by ratepayers. This includes the impact on public health and property from increased air pollution. Our reliance on coal has cost the economy between $345 and $534 billion, according to the “Full Cost Accounting for the Life Cycle of Coal” study by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School:
“The yearly and cumulative costs stemming from the aerosolized, soil, and water pollutants associated with the mining, processing, transport, and combustion of coal affects individuals, families, communities, ecological integrity, and the global climate. The economic implications go far beyond the prices we pay for electricity.”
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via Coal Is Expensive And Not Getting Any Cheaper | ThinkProgress.