Washington Post: Europe consuming more coal

Burning coal in Germany: Europe’s use of the fossil fuel spiked last year after a long decline, and the expansion of lignite, or brown coal, mining has stunned some people in its path.

Now, U.S. coal is spreading around the world instead, pushing down global prices. In Europe, that has raised fears among environmentalists that the cheap natural gas in the United States has simply led to higher overall fossil fuel consumption.

One big part of the problem, experts and officials say, is Europe’s cap-and-trade system, which aims to reduce European Union-wide industrial greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. The system is the centerpiece of Europe’s green policies.  MORE