The Oil Drum

115 comments on The Carbon Economy

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ericy on January 30, 2006 - 1:23pm

This is a very good point. In reality we ought to be looking at coal reserves on a country by country basis, and trying to get a feel for how accurate those numbers are.

You also have the same problem with coal as you do with oil - namely you can get light sweet crude, and heavy sour crude. With coal, you can get low-sulphur or high-sulphur. The low-sulphur is in high demand right now, but we will run out of that sooner.

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porsena on January 31, 2006 - 12:40am

Yes, and let's not forget that much of China's coal is the high sulfur kind. On a visit to Xingdao, where they make the beer, about ten years ago, I was taken up a track to a hill with a view overlooking the city. We travelled the last part on foot because the road had come to an end. It was October, the start of the heating season, and I remember the burning in my eyes, the sulfur taste in my mouth and the effect on my lungs much better than the view.

Along with the GHG effects, we might also pause to remember sulfur emissions and acid rain at some point.

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Leanan on January 31, 2006 - 10:24am

Sulfur may be the least of their worries. Millions of people suffer arsenic poisoning in China, due to coal with high arsenic content. Flouride poisoning is also a problem.