1.

Introduction
The amount of heat entering the atmosphere and the amount of heat exiting are not in
equilibrium, and over the last century, the surface temperature of the Earth has increased by
one degree Fahrenheit (Bickerstaff). One degree may seem insignificant, but after taking into
account that the average temperature of earth had remained predominantly unchanged for the
past two millennia, the unprecedented change is alarming.
Just one degree could be a tipping point beyond which the human risks increase
dramatically. During the last century, due to melting ice glaciers in the Arctic regions, the
average sea level rose by approximately 17.4 centimeters, and the current rate is nearly double
that of the last century. Ten percent of the world's population is living within a mile of the
shoreline and below 10 meters in elevation. As a result, millions of people who are living in low-
lying coastal cities and river deltas are susceptible to the consequences of rising sea level.
According to a recent paper from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
researchers found that a four-foot rise in sea level would put 5 percent of the world's population
at the risk of annual flooding (Hinkel et al.).
However, the long-term effects of global warming would be substantially more dramatic
and damaging. It is predicted by the international livestock research institute in a world that is 4
degrees warmer, many important agricultural regions would be parched. Globally, the earth
could lose up to approximately 20 percent of its arable regions. Moreover, a rise of four
degrees could result in a 20 percent shorter growing season. The yield of many important crops
such as rice and wheat would also decrease significantly due to their inability to adapt to a
warmer environment, scientists determined (Mone).
In the light of rising international concerns over the increasing concentration of
atmospheric carbon dioxide. Furthermore, on average, coal fired power plant have the highest
of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of electrical output than other types of power generation,
the need for greater efficiency and lower emission is clear (Purpose of the project). Zero
emission renewable energy sources will not revolutionize the energy industry into a
decarbonised one overnight, but technologies such as the HELE (High efficiency, low emission)
exists to make coal-fired power plants more efficient and cleaner-burning.

2. Causes
Since the industrial revolution, human activities have drastically changed the
composition of our atmosphere. Over the last century, the burning of fossil fuels and
deforestation have increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Under regular
circumstances, heat rays originating from the sun passes through the atmosphere and is
reflected towards space. However, greenhouse gas molecules absorb the redirected rays and
re-emits them in all directions, which resulted in the trapping of suns heat and lead to global
warming. Due to anthropogenic global warming, over the last 150 years, the carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere have increased by 25 percent and according to Blair, since the measuring of
global surface temperature that began in the 18th century, the temperature had increased by
approximately one degree Fahrenheit (Bickerstaff).
In the global warming puzzle, the power sector is the largest piece. The power sector
releases 33 percent of the worlds greenhouse gases. Over the 50 years, while the world is
transfixed by the vibration of the petroleum market, the promise of renewable energy, and the
discovery of cheap natural gas, coal left all the other forms of electricity generation in dust, and
providing nearly nearly as much energy as all the all source combined. The recent explosive
increase in coal usage did not come from the developed countries, where the demand is
plateauing, but from the developing countries, where coal is seen as a reliable and cheap
source of power. Currently, coal is the most abundant fossil fuel, with a known global reserve of
nearly one trillion tons. Coal reserves can be found in 75 countries and its productive is
relatively inexpensive when compared to natural gas and oil, so not surprisingly, coal is the
biggest source of energy, which accounts for 40 percent of the power sector. In 2014, 850
megatons of coal were used to generate electricity, twice as much as the number in 2014. If that
trend continues, coal will surpass all the other forms and electricity generation will become the
worlds largest single source of energy (Mone). Just as coal is changing the power sector, it is
also changing the climate, it is responsible for almost 13 billion tons of greenhouse gases per
year. That is 33 percent of the global greenhouse gas emission (Morse).