Backgrounder: Alberta Coal Plants, Climate Change & Human Health

The document details Alberta's heavy reliance on coal for electricity, noting that in 2014, 68% of the province's electricity came from coal, with six plants emitting approximately 43 megatonnes of greenhouse gases in 2011. It links these emissions to broader climate trends in Canada, where average temperatures rose by 1.7°C between 1948 and 2012. The text outlines severe global health risks, including an expected 250,000 additional annual deaths between 2030 and 2050 due to heat, malnutrition, and disease. Specifically for Albertans, it predicts increased heat waves, smog, and extreme weather, citing the 2013 floods that displaced over 100,000 people and cost over $5 billion.

• Alberta's electricity sector is heavily dependent on coal, with the province burning more coal for power than the rest of Canada combined. In 2014, coal provided 68 per cent of Alberta's electricity, and between 2002 and 2012, the province's coal-generated electricity capacity grew by 14 per cent.
• The six coal plants in Alberta are significant emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG). In 2011, these plants emitted approximately 43 megatonnes (MT), which represented about 18% of the province's total GHG emissions, a volume equivalent to all of Alberta's oil sands operations combined.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Backgrounder: Alberta Coal Plants, Climate Change & Human Health. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Climate-Change-Health-2015.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Backgrounder: Alberta Coal Plants, Climate Change & Human Health. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Climate-Change-Health-2015.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Backgrounder: Alberta Coal Plants, Climate Change & Human Health |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Climate-Change-Health-2015.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndbackgrounder, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Backgrounder: Alberta Coal Plants, Climate Change \& Human Health}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Climate-Change-Health-2015.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }