It’s not just China and India who are building scores of new coal-fired plants. Despite their green image, European countries are planning to build some 50 coal-fired plants in the next five years, according to the New York Times.
Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Great Britain — lured by rising oil and natural gas prices and cheap coal — all have new “clean†coal-fired plants in the works, despite scientists’ growing alarm over climate change.
Like their U.S. counterparts, the plant owners tout “clean coal†technology, but the reality is that commercial technology for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide remains years away — and may never be feasible.
Without a moratorium on new coal plants, warns prominent climate scientist James Hansen of NASA, controlling climate change may be impossible.
20 Comments
It has appeared that economic reality is smacking some European countries in the face.
A five year moratorium on building coal-fired power plants makes the most sense to try to figure out how to alleviate their damage to our environment. This shouldn’t be a Republican-Democrat issue but a human survival issue.
There needs to be an agreement put into place worldwide that all coal plants will be put on hold until the technology for clean power is demonstrated. But that would require real leadership.
A move that would be good for us and good for them?
Total trade ban on China. I mean 100%. Until they stop building coal fire plants and using slave labor. Then the American jobs can come home. We can quickly learn to live without the cheap junk.
Energy prices and availability are going to be the driving force on the international stage for the foreseeable future. And providing affordable food for all should be a priority and not compromised by short sighted efforts using food for alternative fuel production.
Global warming concerns are going to have to take a back seat while the world deals with real problems.
Build nukes!
“controlling climate change may be impossible”
Wow! A rocket scientist really did say that?
He wants to control mother nature? Sometimes a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
“We can quickly learn to live without the cheap junk.”
I remember a time when we said the same thing about Japan. Comments such as above indicate history repeats itself - and we haven’t learned anything from it.
“A five year moratorium on building coal-fired power plants makes the most sense ”
Why five years? Why not ten? Why not 6.5 years?
What does five years “Make the most sense”?
“And providing affordable food for all should be a priority and not compromised by short sighted efforts using food for alternative fuel production.”
maybe someone needs to tell governor “leadership” and her little dog parkinson.
They never met a water sucking, subsidy swilling, Farm Bureau pandering ethanol plant they didnt LOVE!
Or want to subsidize…
Who wants to bet that if parkinson isnt annointed governor that he will go to work for either the wind industry or the ethanol industry.
Revolving Door. same with adrian polansky. While we little people fight for the life of our planet, our state, our region…
They’re already lining up their next jobs. Or campaign supporters. Same thing.
Can you say “run out the clock”? Yeah, I knew you could.
Europe is Great!
Let’s get their brand of Socialism!
Let’s get their high tax structure!
Let’s get their national healthcare!
Let’s get their 50 new coal plants!
Even Europe is saying F the Kyoto Treaty, we need electricity!
Max,
Europe ALWAYS was against the Kyoto treaty. Since day one most of the countries either completely ignored the treaty or after a brief attempt to follow it realized how dumb it was and quit.
As I have said from day one, to see what a sham Global Warming is, all you have to do is look at the so called solutions.
It is nothing more than an excuse to invent some crack-pot energy consumption regulation scheme.
Europe has a larger population than America but proposes only 50 new coal plants while America proposes 150. That doesn’t appear to be on par with America.
Humans can not control climate change, get off it. Global warming and cooling is out of our control in my opinion. Pollution is not. We need the Sunflower plants to replace the ones that might wear out in the future. I think Sunflower dragged their feet on building and constructing a couple of new plants. Now we have do gooder and higher building costs which might kill the whole issue, but the need won’t go away.
“We need the Sunflower plants to replace the ones that might wear out in the future.”
Well, that’s a new one…
“I think Sunflower dragged their feet on building and constructing a couple of new plants.”
WTF? Link? Translation?
ksfg - with “do gooder” it seems his grammer is almost as bad as his science.
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Maggotpunk
Posted April 28, 2008 at 1:17 pm | Permalink
Europe has a larger population than America but proposes only 50 new coal plants while America proposes 150. That doesn’t appear to be on par with America.
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All of the European countries are geographically smaller than the U.S. Longer distances require higher transmission inputs, so it’s better to have a series of smaller power generators than one big one. The cost of electricity is actually reduced with multiple smaller plants.
And of course, all that physics involved with higher voltages , that causes heat line problems and etc.
That would be “grammar” not “grammer” Ben, you Georgia transplant. :D
Just saying…
Where are all the Chinese going to go when they make China uninhabitable? Maybe that’s why they’re spending so much on their military. Planning for the future.
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clean fire damage…
I was looking for more information when i found your post. You will be happy to know you came up #2 in google. Thanks for the work!!…