PEAK COAL?

Sorry but it is just damned shortsighted of our leaders to not simply say "There's the sun and there's the wind and there's the tides and, fine, let's keep digging up what's down there underground, but we've got to roll up our sleeves and get busy investing it in building an infrastructure for our future. For our kids!" But, when you think about it, shortsightedness is about all we can expect from our leaders...

Coal’s Future in Doubt
Richard Heinberg, May 9, 2007 (Global Public Media MuseLetter)

WHO
Richard Heinberg, New College of California professor, journalist and energy expert
click to enlarge
WHAT
Heinberg’s MuseLetter #179 reported on a study by the Energy Watch Group (EWA), Coal: Resources and Future Production which found far more limited supplies of US coal than has been commonly speculated. The report concluded the data on coal reserves and production are poor but suggest the US will soon hit peak production and decline and the world will follow.

WHEN
The EWG report was published in April. It predicts US peak coal by 2020 and world peak coal by 2025.
Professor Heinberg questions the long-accepted assumption of The Future of Coal in a Carbon Constrained World, a recent MIT paper, that there are 200 years of reserves still available.

WHERE
This might be very bad news for consumers of energy on Earth, though it might THEREFORE be very good news for the earth’s atmosphere.

WHY
- Virtually the entire world of energy study assumes long-term availability of coal, even if oil and gas are used up. Enormous resources are flowing to the creation of “clean coal technology” on this assumption. If it turns out to be wrong and we have failed to put enough emphasis on creating a renewable energy infrastructure, we are (as John Stewart might say) F**ked.
- These studies suggest the need for further research by the Department of Energy and its statistical evaluation arm, the Energy Information Administration.

QUOTES
The three primary take-away conclusions from the new coal study are as follows:
- “World proven reserves (i.e. the reserves that are economically recoverable at current economic and operating conditions) of coal are decreasing fast….
- “The bulk of coal production and exports is getting concentrated within a few countries and market players, which creates the risk of market imperfections.
- “Coal production costs are steadily rising all over the world, due to the need to develop new fields, increasingly difficult geological conditions and additional infrastructure costs associated with the exploitation of new fields.”