Archive for Coal
A massive coal sludge accident in Tennessee
Posted by: on January 5, 2009 in Tags: Coal, Environment, pollution, USA
I never have been a fan of coal as it is by very far the most carbon dioxide emitting energy solution. It is also the most polluting as what occurred on December 22nd in Tennessee shows.
Indeed 48 times in volume of what was spilled by the Exxon Valdez was accidentally released over 160 hectares (400 acres) of land. This is huge and this video on YouTube will finish to convince you.
The pollution induced by this disaster will take a long time and a lot of money to be cleaned up. This is yet another reason for us to get rid of this energy source. Continue reading »
According to recent studies global coal reserves may be much smaller than previously thought. Indeed, estimates are now of 662 billion tons instead of 850 billion tons.
That’s 23 percent smaller. So, what occurred with estimates of remaining oil is also true here : countries overestimated their coal reserves and peak coal is nearer than expected.
Coal accounts for more than a fifth of our primary energy sources. With smaller reserves, this makes it even more urgent to switch to alternatives. Continue reading »
A brilliant solution for abandoned coal mines
Posted by: on December 11, 2008 in Tags: Coal, Energy, renewables
What if old coal mines could provide us with clean and renewable energy ? No, I am not giving credence to clean coal, I am writing about a great idea a Dutch village had.
Heerlen inhabitants thought about repurposing their old coal mine - flooded with hot water - and thought about tapping all this heat with geothermal energy.
Now, what if in the future all currents coal mines, once abandoned because of high CO2 prices, were to provide geothermal energy ? That would be awesome. Continue reading »
US agency blocks construction of coal-fired plant
Posted by: on November 19, 2008 in Tags: Coal, nuclear, Sustainable development, USA
The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a ruling that may well bring an end to the constructions of coal-fired plants in the country.
As the Bush Presidency is ending, this institution is finally getting more serious on limiting carbon dioxide emissions of the world’s largest emitter.
The construction and use of alternative energy sources - renewables and nuclear - will become more easier and faster. Continue reading »
Eastern European countries are plagued by coal
Posted by: on November 7, 2008 in Tags: Climate change, Coal, Environment, Europe
Coal is by far the most polluting and most greenhouse gases energy source. We have seen that China has became the world’s most CO2 emitting country because of this.
But did you know that much nearer to us, Eastern European countries like Poland are plagued by the massive use of coal, which is the origin of acid rains (cf. map on the left).
The Financial Times (not exactly a newspaper on environmentalism) reported on how coal might be a huge problem for these countries. Continue reading »
News on greenhouse gases emissions in China
Posted by: on November 3, 2008 in Tags: China, Climate change, Coal
For the past days I collected four articles on Chinese greenhouse gases emissions. It begun with a single tweet on October 23 reporting that they could double by 2030 if nothing was done.
Then, the WWF issued a report on the external cost of coal burning in China which is estimated to $250 billion (200 billion €) for last year alone, or the equivalent of 7.1% of the country’s GDP.
I also found an article on how China is leapfrogging the USA to cut energy consumption and another one on how future climate change mitigation will be tough. Continue reading »
Why clean coal is nowhere near happening
Posted by: on October 16, 2008 in Tags: Climate change, Coal, Energy, pollution
Some are trying to convince the public that clean coal is the ultimate solution to all our needs. Even if I already stated my opinion on what I consider as the panacea, I will rebut their arguments.
Clean Technica outlined no less than five reasons why clean coal will never happen, or if it would to happen, it would be at a prohibitive cost.
So both Barack Obama and John McCain are wrong on this very issue as clean coal is by no mean a reality, and this is why we have to work on cleaner alternatives. Continue reading »
Cutting fossil fuels subsidies to cut emissions
Posted by: on September 2, 2008 in Tags: Climate change, Coal, Energy, Oil
The UNEP issued an interesting report on how cutting the subsidies given to big oil and coal companies would cut by up to six percent per year global greenhouse gases emissions.
Up to 300 billions USD (around 200 billion euros) are spent annually on subsidies for the energy sector, all of them being benefiting in a way or another fossil fuels companies.
Additional effects of such changes would be a small increase in the world’s wealth and a boost to clean energy sources such as solar energies and other renewables. Continue reading »
Coal demand is increasing and due to keep on doing so
Posted by: on August 11, 2008 in Tags: Coal, EnergyYou perhaps think that with the rise of renewable energies and the new era of nuclear power, coal demand is decreasing and that this energy will soon be a relic of the past ?
Sorry to disappoint you, but according to Clean Technica, the reverse is occurring as to them : ” coal demand is climbing rapidly around the world.”
This might not be really hot news as I already wrote there about such a thing, but you will find below more data on this situation. Continue reading »
Top NASA official warns on climate change
Posted by: on July 3, 2008 in Tags: Climate change, Coal, Oil, USA
James Hansen, a top NASA official famous for his speech twenty years ago on global warming strikes back. His first discourse rose awareness on climate change in the United States.
In his anniversary speech, he stated that large oil and coal companies would commit crimes against Humanity and Nature if they continued emitting important amounts of greenhouse gases.
To Mr. Hansen, we have to act now as “we’ve already reached the dangerous level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.” Continue reading »
