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47. GLOBAL WARMING IS HOPELESS 2: COAL - NEW OCT. 2007
...peach trees...SUV's...coal...People still don't get it about coal. They see it as part of the mix. The future will be a mix. E-mailers, after reading my global warming essay, accuse me of pessimism, darkness. They still don't get it. You can't have a mix if coal continues, because black covers everything. People read about good things happening in Denmark. The Netherlands, progressive. And Swedes care. They read that Wal-Mart intends to cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions in their buildings by 20%, and take heart. Wal-Mart! So gigantic! So meaningful! And so previous! What's next? A caring Exxon Mobil? The Terminator wants cars in California to be good! And that's good. That's not dark, that's not pessimism. If every car in California can cut its CO2 emissions by 25% and every SUV in California by 18% by 2009...But here's it: If Wal-Mart succeeds, the CO2 emissions from just one medium-sized coal plant will negate its accomplishment in the first month of operation. And even if the cars in California change like that, the accomplishment will be negated in eight months by a single coal plant. And China, between now and 2012, will build 650 coal plants. That single development-- more than 2 plants a week-- dooms all other actions combined against global warming to futility. (There are now 1,700 coal plants in the world. Overall, 1,400 or so are planned in the next 13 years, 159 in the U.S.) Perhaps you've read about sequestration, in which coal plants capture their carbon emissions and bury them? Sequestration is good. Sequestration doesn't exist. Their isn't one coal plant in the world that sequesters. And not one is planned to either-- except for a few demonstration projects they hope will keep environmentalists off their backs (companies and governments). Yet people hear vaguely about sequestering and, in between the ball games and taking care of their children, that makes them feel good. Vaguely, people think that coal is going away, or maybe it's gone away. But no. 50% of U.S. electricity comes from coal. (1/4 of 1% from wind. Less than 1/100 of 1% from solar.) 70% of China's energy comes from coal. 90% of Australia's electricity comes from coal. Why do you think it's going away when it's coming toward you? Why is that? Well, the steam locomotives are gone...well, I don't heat my house with...well, my grandparents...Well...Now I read of vast coal mine fires burning in ravenous China and India. In China alone up to 200 million tons of carbon are erupting from coal mines yearly, it may equal all the carbon emissions from all the gasoline used in the United States. I'm sorry. SPLASH! Black covers everything.
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