 |
Could Peak Coal Arrive By 2025? |
3 Comments |
| By Michael d'Estries in Climate Change, Energy, Pollution | April 24, 2008 | ||
Supporters of coal love to end their tired campaigns to secure its place as America’s future #1 source of energy by declaring “there’s hundreds of years” of reserves left. While the outlook may not be as dire as the one related to oil, it’s certainly nothing to bet on. According to Cleantechnica, new research out of CalTech suggests that world coal reserves are grossly overstated and could be substantially exhausted this century. From the article,
In the last 20 years, official coal reserves have fallen by 170 billion tons. To put this number in perspective, global coal consumption in 2007 was 6 billion tons. Reserves figures are dropping far more quickly than actual extraction. The European Commission’s Institute for Energy in 2000 estimated global supplies of coal to last 277 years. In 2007, that number was lowered to 155 years.
But don’t go thinking you can relax — according to The National Academy of Sciences Report on Coal from June 2007, those numbers are based upon “methods that have not been reviewed or revised since their inception in 1974, and much of the input data were compiled in the early 1970’s.” Shit. The article goes on to say that some countries such as Vietnam and China have not revised their figures for decades – even with the fact that billions of tons of coal have been removed since then. Not to mention the fact that a new coal plant goes up in China almost at a rate of one a week to serve demand in a growing industrialized economy.
All of this culminates in a new number — 2025 — as the date for peak coal. That’s quite a bit different from what lobbyists will have you believe. Not to mention that to get to most of it in the U.S., we’ll have to screw the Adirondacks in the process. No thank you. I think I’ll continue the push for this country to plug into something else.
via cleantechnica
Loading ...
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg said,
Thanks for the link love, Michael… so much for “250 years worth of energy,” huh?
N. & J. said,
I don’t even understand why people in persist in pinning our hopes on nonrenewable or very slow renewing resources.
Barry Bernsten said,
America needs to stay FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED.
Focus:
History reminds us that every time oil prices peak and the North American market/consumers start to discuss alternative energy sources, the oil exporting countries start to trim down their prices. History also tells us that the oil exporting nations have been very successful in the past and in fact, we have lost our enthusiasm and dropped many of our alternative energy initiatives after oil prices are reduced.
WE need to stay focused this time.
1) Al Gore and his energy initiative is on course.
2) T. Boone Pickens and his wind power initiative is on course.
3) The BG Automotive Group mass production electric vehicle program is on
course along with renewable solar energy charging option.
4) Richard Branson from the UK is on course w/his environmental programs..
5) The Gas Reduction Act of 2008 might not be the most environmentally sound
solution, but yet it shows that Congress has finally realized that we have an
energy crisis (again), and a real threat to our national security.
The continued dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our long term democratic values. We must become an energy independent nation, and with this, some sacrifices will have to be made by the American consumer.
Be aware!!
We are exporting approximately USD $700 Billion dollars per year of U.S. currency. The majority of this money is being transferred to the Trillion dollar “sovereign wealth funds”. This is USD $700 Billion not being spent on America’s educational system, health care and security.
The “sovereign wealth funds” are directly buying major interests (large blocks of stock) in U.S. companies, including most of the major banks. Also, billions of dollars of “sovereign wealth fund” money is being invested in our hedge funds, private equity firms, and the investment banking industry. A few of these firms are directly and indirectly investing large sums of money into our “gas combustion” automobile industry. Do we want our auto industry in the direct or indirect control of the firms that are supplying us oil? This is an interesting topic for an investigative reporter.
There are automotive consulting companies in Michigan (heart of our auto industry), lobbying States and our Federal Government, NOT to subsidize the Electric Vehicle industry. The latter seems to be contradictory to what the American public would like to see from our automobile industry. After the billions (excess of $20 billion) the automotive companies have lost in the past 6 months producing gas combustion vehicles, you would think they too would change course. Changing course is not adding 2-4 miles per gallon w/Hybrids. Drastic measures in our auto industry must take place and NOW!
Do not let the temporary reduction in oil prices push us off course….AGAIN.
Educated:
Read, Read- Stay on top of the issues. Let’s not be fooled again.
STAY FOCUSED, AWARE and EDUCATED!