European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy

by Jerome a Paris
Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 07:03:48 AM EST

Britain's energy minister says coal is key
LONDON (Reuters) - Coal power generation is crucial for the growth of the British economy, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said on Wednesday.

It could not be said any plainer: pollution and carbon emissions are necessary - nay, "crucial", for growth. Could there be a better indicator that growth is the wrong target?

Coal is usually promoted because it is cheap and plentiful. It is cheap only because the price of burning coal is paid by others. Those that suffer or die from illness caused by the widespread air, soil and water pollution it causes. Those that die from the increasing impact of global climate change caused, to a significant extent, by burning coal. Those that die in mining incidents. And it is not so plentiful that we can safely decide to lock in our generation choices for the next 50 years.

But hey, as usual, the environmentalists will get the blame (Green laws and regulation risk energy crisis, say Europe's power companies) as the industry refuses to face up to its responsibilities and goes crying to cowardly politicians.

But hey, in the long run, we're all dead, right?

Oh, that funny tidbit in the coal article:

But imported coal remains essential, he said. Russian coal imports, which accounted for around 50 percent of imports at 23 million tons in 2006, stayed at around the same last year.

another "energy weapon" for Putin to wield?

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Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (none / 1)

He must miss the good old smog...!

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

by margouillat (hemidactylus(dot)frenatus(at)wanadoo(dot)fr) on Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 07:24:10 AM EST

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (4.00 / 2)

I find that my disgust has gone way beyond my eloquence. I don't even know how to put it. We've known everything we needed to know for a long time, yet we will do nothing. Immediate greed has, wholly, taken over.

"Few can believe that suffering, especially by others, is in vain. - Galbraith"

by Cyrille (cyrillev domain yahoo.fr) on Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 07:36:19 AM EST

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (4.00 / 2)

Well, I haven't saidthis in weeks so I guess it bears repeating. There will be no policy changes in the US or UK till New York and London get a different shoreline. Till then we're very sorry but Bangladesh and Tuvalu are disposable.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 11:03:14 AM EST

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (none / 1)

When they can't ski at Davos then they'll change.

by tjbuff (timhess@adelphia.net) on Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 11:31:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (none / 0)

Coal power generation is crucial for the growth of the British economy, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said on Wednesday.

It's only crucial until it's not crucial anymore. And it stops being crucial about 5-15 years after it's decided it shouldn't be crucial...

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Thu Feb 7th, 2008 at 12:04:14 PM EST

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (none / 1)

--
Professor Helm: ... it is fashionable for people to argue that environmental measures, like renewables and energy efficiency, are the best way of increasing security of supply. Unfortunately, the best way of increasing security of supply is coal and coal is the growing fuel around the world and it has many sources, it is extremely cheap and is fantastically damaging to the environment. People who argue that pursuing environmental policy and security of supply are necessarily linked, that is not true. If you look at the particular technologies, energy efficiency does reduce demand and in the short-term a lower level of demand might lead to a higher level of security in the short run, but not in the long run. On renewables, most of the renewables policies very unfortunately reduce security of supply, particularly when the renewables penetration goes to high levels. At the extreme you could have a system in which if the wind was blowing nothing else would be needed and, therefore, nothing else would earn any money but if the wind does not blow everything else is needed and it has to earn enormous returns to provide that facility. Hopefully in ten or 15 years' time it will have some batteries and then wind will be base load and this thing will be transformed, but not in the short run.
--

More here http://www.eurotrib.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2008/2/8/23619/65712

by citatel on Fri Feb 8th, 2008 at 11:32:48 PM EST

Re: Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy (none / 1)

"Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell." ~ Edward Abbey

¤¤¤ It is good to live in a time of great depravity, for one may earn a reputation for virtue at little cost. ~ Montaigne ¤¤¤

by Andhakari (andhakari at yahoo dot com) on Sun Feb 10th, 2008 at 02:25:13 AM EST

Pollution and Global Warming vital for Economy | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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