The Trump administration announced a slew of measures in recent weeks aimed at reinvigorating the U.S. coal industry. These moves are meant to help address surging power demand and reliability concerns across the country — but more coal isn’t the answer.

U.S. coal has been declining for decades as cheaper, cleaner power sources emerged. Propping up the industry now won’t solve the country’s energy challenges. In fact, it’s already raising electricity costs.

We unpacked why coal hasn’t been economical in the U.S. for years and how the country can meet growing energy demand more safely and affordably. 

Chocolate comes at a steep cost to the world’s forests; Ghana has lost more than 13% of its tree cover to illegal cocoa farming alone. But farmers across Ghana’s Cocoa Belt are finding a better way, planting trees alongside cocoa to restore the land, enhance production and grow their incomes.

Indonesia is pursuing ambitious economic goals that will lead to surging power demand. Meeting it with fossil fuels could spell bad news for climate change. Clean energy growth, new WRI research shows, could unlock a new era of green prosperity in the country. 

Meat options like organic, grass fed and free range are touted as being better for animals and the environment. And they often are. But WRI research finds they can also take a heavier toll on the climate, begging the question: Does “better” meat really exist? 

U.S. coal power has been in decline since the early 2000s as sources like natural gas and, later, wind and solar, became more cost effective.