Laraness (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} laraness) wrote,@ 2008-04-22 22:35:00 |
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Coal: A Dangerous Defense Mechanism
I was under the impression that coal as a primary energy source was a desire of the past. In the graphs in my mind, coal use relative to other sources peaked sometime in the mid-20th century and then gave way to oil, which then ideally transitions into something else (which failed to occur following a significant drop in the 1970's). Granted, in 2005 the United States derived 49.7 percent of its electricity from coal and proposals to build new coal plants are submitted consistently, but this is mostly because of increased per capita consumption. And suddenly I start seeing people's bright ideas about "clean" coal popping up around the globe, such as:
The Tata Mundra project in India
Resurgence of Coal in Europe
If I were a psychologist, and World Society were my deranged patient, I would most certainly diagnose a classic case of Regression. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Regression as:
A return to earlier stages of development and abandoned forms of gratification belonging to them, prompted by dangers or conflicts arising at one of the later stages.
Doesn't that just about sound right?
earlier stage = building coal plants and increasing mining projects
abandoned forms of gratification = electricity is on the house, tonight, folks!
dangers or conflicts = demand for cultural and consumptive change, without clear alternatives and pathways
later stages = oil is $119.48 per barrel and climate change is for real
Now, I'd like to briefly vent about things I don't get when it comes to coal, brought to mind from the coal resurgence article linked above.
1) I am an opponent of nuclear energy as an answer to the oil crisis. However, in what bizarre world is nuclear energy banned prior to banning fossil fuels of any sort. Apparently this is the case in many European nations. Does this make any sense at all? Ultimately fossil fuel dependency is (at least reliably) more devastating to both natural and human environments, and it creates political complications that historically outpace even arguments over uranium access. I know Chernobyl was terrifying, but I bet it's nothing next to the consequences of following current carbon emissions projections into the next century. But hey, it's all a fun experiment, right? We just might find out which is worse.
2) Carbon capture and storage makes me laugh. I'd really like to get the inventors drunk and find out if deep down they really thought it was just a joke, too. So man went running around industrializing and manufactured on a scale never before witnessed on Earth, but his industry spewed billions of tons of waste. Naturally, he looked for the biggest places around to dump it where it wouldn't be in his way: the sky and the ocean. Here we are about 150 years later realizing the error of our ways, yet we think a good idea is to find another place to dump it. Yes, yes, underground. The only problem? It is even smaller than the other two and happens to be under our feet (and our homes). The whole mentality is just so "sweep it under the rug." Willfully blind to the limitations of both space and time.
3) Some newer coal plants try to paint a pretty green picture of their operations. The new Enel plant in Italy even features an on-site desalination plant so that it can get water for operations without competing with local drinking and agriculture needs. What is insane about this you might ask? Desalination as a process is still very energy intensive - so Enel is using massive amounts of energy to run its supposedly more efficient energy plant. Hmm...
I'd love to hear your responses if you chew on the same thoughts. In the meantime I'll be trying to get my patient to overcome Regression before he hurts himself. Maybe if the dangers or conflicts of later stages can be alleviated, so can the stifling fear. Ah, but what a vicious cycle to break.
Abouts:
The American Coal Foundation
Per Capita Coal Consumption by State
DOE Clean Coal
NPR Article on Clean Coal Technologies
Washington Post Article on "Clean" Coal
MIT's Carbon Capture Research Program
LiveScience Article on Desalination Plants
I was under the impression that coal as a primary energy source was a desire of the past. In the graphs in my mind, coal use relative to other sources peaked sometime in the mid-20th century and then gave way to oil, which then ideally transitions into something else (which failed to occur following a significant drop in the 1970's). Granted, in 2005 the United States derived 49.7 percent of its electricity from coal and proposals to build new coal plants are submitted consistently, but this is mostly because of increased per capita consumption. And suddenly I start seeing people's bright ideas about "clean" coal popping up around the globe, such as:
The Tata Mundra project in India
Resurgence of Coal in Europe
If I were a psychologist, and World Society were my deranged patient, I would most certainly diagnose a classic case of Regression. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Regression as:
A return to earlier stages of development and abandoned forms of gratification belonging to them, prompted by dangers or conflicts arising at one of the later stages.
Doesn't that just about sound right?
earlier stage = building coal plants and increasing mining projects
abandoned forms of gratification = electricity is on the house, tonight, folks!
dangers or conflicts = demand for cultural and consumptive change, without clear alternatives and pathways
later stages = oil is $119.48 per barrel and climate change is for real
Now, I'd like to briefly vent about things I don't get when it comes to coal, brought to mind from the coal resurgence article linked above.
1) I am an opponent of nuclear energy as an answer to the oil crisis. However, in what bizarre world is nuclear energy banned prior to banning fossil fuels of any sort. Apparently this is the case in many European nations. Does this make any sense at all? Ultimately fossil fuel dependency is (at least reliably) more devastating to both natural and human environments, and it creates political complications that historically outpace even arguments over uranium access. I know Chernobyl was terrifying, but I bet it's nothing next to the consequences of following current carbon emissions projections into the next century. But hey, it's all a fun experiment, right? We just might find out which is worse.
2) Carbon capture and storage makes me laugh. I'd really like to get the inventors drunk and find out if deep down they really thought it was just a joke, too. So man went running around industrializing and manufactured on a scale never before witnessed on Earth, but his industry spewed billions of tons of waste. Naturally, he looked for the biggest places around to dump it where it wouldn't be in his way: the sky and the ocean. Here we are about 150 years later realizing the error of our ways, yet we think a good idea is to find another place to dump it. Yes, yes, underground. The only problem? It is even smaller than the other two and happens to be under our feet (and our homes). The whole mentality is just so "sweep it under the rug." Willfully blind to the limitations of both space and time.
3) Some newer coal plants try to paint a pretty green picture of their operations. The new Enel plant in Italy even features an on-site desalination plant so that it can get water for operations without competing with local drinking and agriculture needs. What is insane about this you might ask? Desalination as a process is still very energy intensive - so Enel is using massive amounts of energy to run its supposedly more efficient energy plant. Hmm...
I'd love to hear your responses if you chew on the same thoughts. In the meantime I'll be trying to get my patient to overcome Regression before he hurts himself. Maybe if the dangers or conflicts of later stages can be alleviated, so can the stifling fear. Ah, but what a vicious cycle to break.
Abouts:
The American Coal Foundation
Per Capita Coal Consumption by State
DOE Clean Coal
NPR Article on Clean Coal Technologies
Washington Post Article on "Clean" Coal
MIT's Carbon Capture Research Program
LiveScience Article on Desalination Plants
