Researchers make disturbing finding about side effects from coal plants: 'Incredibly important'

Much of the research and conversation surrounding coal power's negative environmental impact centers on its contributions to warming temperatures and the health-harming pollution it creates. But a new study from India warns that coal's effects on crops are just as worrisome.

What's happening?

In a recent study, published by PNAS, researchers concluded that the nitrogen dioxide pollution from coal power stations has decreased potential yields of Indian rice and wheat crops by over 10%. This is a significant finding, as these are two of the most vital crops to the world's second-most populous country, where alarming numbers of the population already deal with malnutrition and food insecurity.

"Crop productivity is incredibly important to India's food security and economic prospects," senior study author David Lobell said, per the Stanford School of Sustainability.

"We wanted to understand the impact of India's coal electricity emissions on its agriculture because there might be real trade-offs between meeting growing electricity demand with coal generation and maintaining food security," added Kirat Singh, one of the researchers involved.

Why is Indian coal pollution important?

Other than the reasons coal pollution is associated with severe health complications and much worse for the environment than clean energy in general, the scale of the problem here is particularly concerning. 

Take India's countrywide reliance on coal, for instance. More than 70% of the country's electricity is coal-powered, according to the International Energy Agency, and given that it is one of two nations in the world home to at least 1 billion people (the majority of whom have access to electricity), that is a lot of coal constantly burning.

There's also the matter of spoiled crops being a net financial negative. The aforementioned study found that eliminating coal pollution from the affected areas could boost the value of both rice and wheat output by at least $400 million. That's a drop in the bucket compared to India's GDP, but it would significantly increase the fortunes of the nation's farmers, among others.

What's being done about Indian coal emissions?

India's level of dependency on coal is disturbing, even reportedly increasing in recent years. Thus, the country is unlikely to make a swift transition to clean energy. Nevertheless, there are reasons to be optimistic.

Scientists point to the financial perks of addressing coal's effects on these crops. However, besides the basic increase in yields, researchers also found "little overlap among the stations associated with the largest crop losses and those associated with the highest mortality," per Stanford. This suggests benefits from potential reductions in coal pollution could be even more sweeping than previously thought.

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"It's rare to find a single thing — in this case, reducing coal emissions — that would help agriculture so quickly and so much," Lobell said. 

Additionally, in January 2025, Tata Power Renewable Energy formally took its 126-megawatt floating solar power plant online. Located in Central India, it's the largest project of its kind in the country, and its ambitious design may show a new way forward for the nation's energy crisis.

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