The Oil Drum | Another thought on coal supply

52 comments on Another thought on coal supply

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Pitt the Elder on July 2, 2007 - 11:16am

It's not up to me to prove the negative.
...
The facts speak for themselves. UK annual coal production has declined since the peak in 1910

Straw man - nobody's asking you to prove a negative. Nobody's even asking you to prove anything.

What they appear to be asking is that you provide evidence for your apparent claim that UK coal production's decline is irreversible; i.e., that UK coal production is low for geological and EROEI reasons rather than for political or economic reasons. Large coal deposits are known and located in the UK; you are asserting that they are not being mined due to physical constraints. That is a positive assertion, and requires evidence to back it up.

In response, you've provided only semi-coherent rants. Those aren't evidence, no matter how strongly you believe them.

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BobCousins on July 2, 2007 - 7:07pm

you are asserting that they are not being mined due to physical constraints. That is a positive assertion,

WTF does "not" mean? Hey, is that a negative? "irreversible" is also a negative. You ARE asking me to prove a negative, so don't lie.

Anyway, I am not arguing there is no longer coal down there, nor am asserting there are physical limits. Those are YOUR strawmen, so another lie.

[you claim] that UK coal production is low for geological and EROEI reasons rather than for political or economic reasons.

I agree! It is for economic reasons. The "political" decision that was made was to stop subsidising a loss-making industry. QED.

If you think that the economic or political stance will change in the future, it is up to you to provide evidence for that.

Thanks for poking your nose in, but your objections are not even semi-coherent!

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Rethin on July 3, 2007 - 12:42am

You'll have to excuse Pitt. He often confuses posters on this board for the demons in his head.

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52 comments on Another thought on coal supply

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