The WWF has a new briefing out called "Are the costs of using coal higher than the cost of cleaning it up?" It contains the standard "coal is the enemy of the human race" statistics, and concludes with six recommendations for how to reduce coal's impact on global warming:
1. Emerging economies need access to best-available-technologies including last-generation coal-fired power technology and support from G8 nations and the financial sector in deploying it.
2. OECD countries should not replace aging power stations with traditional coal.
3. Demand-side management solutions should be considered before considering construction of new power stations. This will re-direct investment into cheaper energy-savings technology.
4. New power plants should use combined heat and power (CHP) and, where possible, cooling (tri- generation) technology. This will increase plant efficiency from 40-45% (coal) to over 80% (CHP).
5. Strict caps and/or standards are needed that mandate the construction of low-carbon and CCS power plants in the OECD as soon as possible. Emission standards should set gas-fired CHP as their benchmark.
6. All countries should set air pollution standards to protect the health of citizens and strengthen any existing caps to include all power stations. Technologies for low-carbon power stations can reduce conventional air emissions by as much as 90%.
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SustainableGreen Posted 11:00 am
11 May 2007
WWF left the most important one off.
7. Get the Hell rid of Coal. Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, Euro-dollar for Euro-dollar, etc., move subsidies currently for Coal to production and installation of PV and wind for home and industry. Go to Germany and take lessons on distributed sustainable generation of electricity. Cross out 1-6.
David
Sustainability For Life
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
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Ron Steenblik Posted 5:17 pm
11 May 2007
At least an end to the hard-coal subsidies may finally be in sight (subject to modification by the ever coal-friendly Social Democratic Party). According to a report on DW-world.de from 29 January:
After extensive negotiations, the premiers of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland, two of Germany's particularly coal-rich regions, and representatives of the coal union and the mining conglomerate agreed Sunday on a plan to phase out German coal subsidies.
Though no official deadline was set, 2018 was mentioned as the year the subsidies would finally end. Don't hold your breath.
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Erik Hoffner Posted 9:57 pm
11 May 2007
http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub284.cfm
The Orion Grassroots Network: 1000+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more
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Earth Shaman Posted 11:09 am
13 May 2007
Earth Shaman
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