Coal is the Devil but not beyond Salvation
September 6th 2007 02:11
I came accross an interesting new report on Coal (ok well probably only interesting if you are into that type of thing and Def not as interesting as Celebrities) on the WWF Website. They have analysed: Coal Demand growth, the pollution it causes, its impact on Global Warming and what lies ahead for the future for Coal if we want to Save the Planet.
Fortunately there is hope for Coal yet...... We just need to halve our consumption of it and improve the technologies we employ to clean it up....
The article is worth a read and the attached report tho very long has everything you need to know on just how bad Coal is for the environment and exactly what we need to do to fix this mess we have created.
I was shocked by the massive increase in Coal demand over the last five years largely fuelled by growth in China and India...
Here is an extract and a link for those who are interested...
cheers
Louie
There is a role for coal in the future of the Asia Pacific: WWF
04 Sep 2007
By Jane Hammond
The Asia Pacific's unfettered use of coal threatens to result in cataclysmic global climate change and social and environmental upheaval but despite this, a new WWF report finds there is a role for coal in a carbon-constrained energy future.
The report, Coming Clean: The Truth and Future of Coal in the Asia Pacific, released on the eve of the APEC summit in Sydney, acknowledges that coal use is an important part of the emerging economies in the region, in particular China and India.
It finds coal has a role to play in meeting the region's energy demands but that it must be reduced to no more than 20 per cent of all energy produced; tempered with the introduction of cleaner coal technologies, specifically carbon capture and storage (CCS); and regulated by government policies designed to better protect local environments and communities.
With 88 per cent of the current global increase in coal use coming from the developing nations of Asia, the report says industrialised nations need to assist developing economies to implement low emissions technologies in order to prevent dangerous global climate change.
To do this will require new forms of technology transfer, it says.
Based on independent analyses commissioned by WWF from energy experts across the region, the report finds that the market value of coal does not reflect its toll on human health and the local and global environment.
If these factors were taken into account alternative energy technologies including low emission coal technologies would be more economic, it says.
"Coal's impacts on the region range from the depletion of arable soil, to diminishing clean water supplies and severe air pollution to grave respiratory illness and displaced and disenfranchised communities," the report says
"But coal's greatest threat is its significant contributions to global warming, which stands to unleash potentially cataclysmic environmental impacts."
Author of the report, WWF International's Asia Pacific Coal Initiative Co-ordinator, Ina Pozon said the intent of the report was to give a comprehensive picture of coal use in the region.
"The Asia Pacific's coal use is not just a climate change issue but is also a community and local environmental issue. Coal currently plays a dominant role in developing countries, such as China and India, and it is unrealistic to expect an immediate shift away from coal," Pozon said.
"The report provides parameters that define responsible coal use that allow developing countries to continue using this fuel to achieve economic growth, while minimizing its impact on people and the planet, particularly when it comes to global warming."
The WWF report 'Coming Clean: The Truth and Future of Coal in Asia Pacific' can be downloaded from: Really Long Link
Fortunately there is hope for Coal yet...... We just need to halve our consumption of it and improve the technologies we employ to clean it up....
The article is worth a read and the attached report tho very long has everything you need to know on just how bad Coal is for the environment and exactly what we need to do to fix this mess we have created.
I was shocked by the massive increase in Coal demand over the last five years largely fuelled by growth in China and India...
Here is an extract and a link for those who are interested...
cheers
Louie
There is a role for coal in the future of the Asia Pacific: WWF
04 Sep 2007
By Jane Hammond
The Asia Pacific's unfettered use of coal threatens to result in cataclysmic global climate change and social and environmental upheaval but despite this, a new WWF report finds there is a role for coal in a carbon-constrained energy future.
The report, Coming Clean: The Truth and Future of Coal in the Asia Pacific, released on the eve of the APEC summit in Sydney, acknowledges that coal use is an important part of the emerging economies in the region, in particular China and India.
It finds coal has a role to play in meeting the region's energy demands but that it must be reduced to no more than 20 per cent of all energy produced; tempered with the introduction of cleaner coal technologies, specifically carbon capture and storage (CCS); and regulated by government policies designed to better protect local environments and communities.
With 88 per cent of the current global increase in coal use coming from the developing nations of Asia, the report says industrialised nations need to assist developing economies to implement low emissions technologies in order to prevent dangerous global climate change.
To do this will require new forms of technology transfer, it says.
Based on independent analyses commissioned by WWF from energy experts across the region, the report finds that the market value of coal does not reflect its toll on human health and the local and global environment.
If these factors were taken into account alternative energy technologies including low emission coal technologies would be more economic, it says.
"Coal's impacts on the region range from the depletion of arable soil, to diminishing clean water supplies and severe air pollution to grave respiratory illness and displaced and disenfranchised communities," the report says
"But coal's greatest threat is its significant contributions to global warming, which stands to unleash potentially cataclysmic environmental impacts."
Author of the report, WWF International's Asia Pacific Coal Initiative Co-ordinator, Ina Pozon said the intent of the report was to give a comprehensive picture of coal use in the region.
"The Asia Pacific's coal use is not just a climate change issue but is also a community and local environmental issue. Coal currently plays a dominant role in developing countries, such as China and India, and it is unrealistic to expect an immediate shift away from coal," Pozon said.
"The report provides parameters that define responsible coal use that allow developing countries to continue using this fuel to achieve economic growth, while minimizing its impact on people and the planet, particularly when it comes to global warming."
The WWF report 'Coming Clean: The Truth and Future of Coal in Asia Pacific' can be downloaded from: Really Long Link
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Comment by Ash
Flashes of memories
I remember when I was growing up watching the massive coal towers steaming on the horizon over the city... and only learned years later how it was belching pollution out into the air and destroying my beautiful hometown.
We have a long way to go to fix the world - more people need to come on board to start making the change.
Ash
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
all anyone needs to do is to look back to the olden days when poor miners got black lung disease and died as a result of coal mining to know it can't possibly be a healthy thing for the environment!
Great link to the article though, I enjoyed the read...
I know coal is a fairly cheap fuel to use, but it's effects on the environment can be long lasting...
Good post!
Take care,
Nick
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
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Debate Fan
Very interesting post.
I've just seen a report on coal use myself, which stated that decades worth of carbon pollution from coal has been a major culprit in global dimming and must be controlled...