Community | May 01, 2009 | 13 comments

Dear coal plants, you're doomed

source: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/global-warming/dear-coal-plants-youre-doomed-20090430-aozx...

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JanforGore
Climate scientists have written directly to the chiefs of the country's main coal companies and users, warning them that coal-fired power stations are doomed and that the Federal Government's carbon capture and storage plans are likely to be a waste of time and money.

"The unfortunate reality is that genuine action on climate change will mean that coal-fired power stations cease to operate in the near future," says the letter, posted yesterday to the heads of Rio Tinto, Alcoa and Delta Electricity, and more than 20 other companies and organisations.

The group of seven signatories, who include three lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a former director of the World Climate Research Program, said they took the step because of misinformation being spread by the coal industry.

One signatory, Professor David Karoly of Melbourne University, said he had decided to appeal directly to company chiefs because he felt they needed to be advised that their companies were contributing to climate change, and could be exposed to any future legal action brought against heavy polluters.

"Evidence is mounting that climate change is occurring faster than previously predicted and we are perilously close to a number of tipping points which, if passed, would amplify the effects of climate change and make it much more difficult to bring further warming under control," the letter says.

"We cannot emphasise enough just how serious the situation has become."

Carbon capture and storage, in which emissions from coal-fired power stations are compressed and buried, is probably not going to help Australia make the necessary greenhouse gas cuts, the letter says.

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13 comments // Dear coal plants, you're doomed

  • Agent_Alpha
  • Agent_Alpha
  • SPECIALIST
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • Wow, what a disgusting ad. There is no way to make coal "cleaner" and that is an outright lie. Can't we get them for false advertising?

    • 2 years ago
  • futuregen
  • futuregen
    • 0
      futuregen  
    • Image

    • Excellent post JanforGore. One of Washington Week's sponsors is the National Mining Association. Prior to last night's show, aired on the local Public Broadcasting Channel, a NMA tv ad was played. At the end was a subliminal message. I don't remember if it was a "coal" ad or just a mining ad. There was a definite subliminal message at the end. Perhaps they could also be held liable for brainwashing the public (i.e. legal action brought against them).

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • Grid parity with coal? Well, even if you disagree with this assessment, we are getting there. And the faster we do, the faster we can wave bye bye to the dirty, toxic, coal ash ridden, mountain destroying, cancer causing sludge that is coal.

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
  • courage
  • current89
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • courage:

      Why are you laughing at that nonsense? Because I posted this thread? I think you need to stop allowing your personal grudges here to interfere with you ability to think.

      Solar power will soon have grid parity with coal, and coal will one day be in the dustbin of history. As an "Obama" supporter and one who claims to support his climate agenda (flawed as it may be in some areas) to laugh at that obvious misinformed comment only shows your bias here and inability to go above it to discuss a topic. You may not really think so, but this is more than a political wedge issue.

    • 2 years ago
  • SPECIALIST
    • 0
      SPECIALIST  
    • courage:

      GOOD! the only way people act is by reacting, so if their electric bills quadruple, they may reduce their energy usage to one fourth of their current usage.

      do you drive a pickup truck?

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
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