This video was made in partnership with Bill Gates. To learn more about his work on clean energy, visit
Although coal is such an amazing energy source that we’ve kept using it despite the harm it causes, today we may be better poised to stop using it than at any previous time in history.
Thanks also to our Patreon patrons and our YouTube members.
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If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:
See How the World’s Most Polluted Air Compares With Your City’s –
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer and Narrator: Alex Reich (@alexhreich)
Video Illustrator and Director: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar)
Video Co-Illustrator: Arcadi Garcia Rius (@garirius)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Kate Yoshida, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg, Julián Gómez, Sarah Berman
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder:
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References:
Caldeira, K. Personal communication, Feb 2020
Coady, D. et al. 2015. How Large Are Global Energy Subsidies?
Farrow, A., Miller, K.A. & Myllyvirta, L. February 2020. Toxic air: The price of fossil fuels. Seoul: Greenpeace Southeast Asia. 44 pp.
Freese, B. 2016. Coal: A Human History. Basic Books
Freese, B. Personal communication, Feb 2020
IEA. 2019. Coal 2019. Paris.
IEA. 2019. Global Energy & CO2 Status Report 2019. Paris.
Jaffe, E. 17 September 2015. The Enormous Social Cost of Cheap Coal.
Ramani, R.V. & Evans, M.A. “Coal Mining.” Accessed Dec 2019
Pompeu, N.B. 14 Feb 2019. Air Pollution and the Health Cost of Coal.
Union of Concerned Scientists. 15 July 2006. A Short History of Energy.
US EIA. “Coal explained: Coal and the environment.” Accessed Dec 2019
Wikipedia. “Coal.” Accessed Dec 2019
Wikipedia. “History of coal mining.” Accessed Dec 2019
World Coal Association. “Where is coal found?” Accessed Feb 2020
