Modern pollution controls can scrub much, but not all, pollutants from coal smoke. And no controls exist yet for carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming.

Comparison of annual air emissions by fuel type/measures in pounds per MWh.

	Coal	Natural gas	Hydropower	Wind	Solar
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)	2,071	1,205	0	0	0
Sulfur Oxides (SOx)	13.8	0.008	0	0	0
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)	4.8	4.3	0	0	0
Particulate Matter (PM)	3.2	N/A	0	0	0

Source: Renewable Northwest Project

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