# You might want to hold off on that new coal stove



## Burn-1 (Apr 5, 2007)

Peak Coal

Here's the money quote from the beginning of the article

"_The peak of world production is only ten to fifteen years away.
 The peak of U.S. production is in the past.
Reserves have been overstated by as much as 90%.
There are serious implications for our entire way of life.
And the media are still reporting that there will be abundant supplies for another 150 years, 200 years, or more.
I'm talking about oil, right? Nope.

I'm talking about coal. That's right, coal. The next great hope for fossil fuels._"

Obviously, there will still be enough of the stuff to put into a stove but we are running out of it for
net energy at a higher rate than most of us would think. Pretty thought provoking.

Here's another article saying basically the same thing.


Peak Coal 2


----------



## jjbaer (Apr 5, 2007)

Burn-1 said:
			
		

> Peak Coal
> 
> Here's the money quote from the beginning of the article
> 
> ...



Good info but what I didn't see (may have missed it...) is the rate at which known coal reserves have been increasing. As with oil, 30 years ago they were saying we had 20 yrs of oil left but now we're consuming far more oil than 30 years ago and the oil known oil reserves are larger now than they were then. I'm wondering if this "doom and gloom" about coal might not be similar....that is, when they projected coal consumption out 20 years that if they also projected coal reserves out 20 years we'd see no shortage..........but....an interesting article none the less. What's also of interest is that as coal use increases, oil use decreases compared to coal AND the US has the largest coal deposits in the world....


----------



## BrotherBart (Apr 5, 2007)

Yep. We are down to our last 267 billion tons of coal reserves in the U.S. Only 236 more years at todays consumption rate.


----------



## Sandor (Apr 8, 2007)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> Yep. We are down to our last 267 billion tons of coal reserves in the U.S. Only 236 more years at todays consumption rate.



You can read about "Peak Coal" on theoildrum.com

This is the link:

http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/2396

There is also a link to the latest report on coal:

http://www.energywatchgroup.org/files/Coalreport.pdf

Another point about  "Only 236 more years at todays consumption rate". Sounds like its time to post Dr. Bartletts video lesson on exponential growth again. WORTH WATCHING!

http://globalpublicmedia.com//lectures/461


----------



## BrotherBart (Apr 8, 2007)

Just one of a growing list of events that I figure, even with just average luck, I will be out of town for when the event occurs.


----------



## begreen (Apr 8, 2007)

Ah, but how about Peak Peeps! That's happening right now, all around us. Is there nothing that will stop this eventuality? Or do we just wait until they come after our last grain of sugar lead by this insiduous dude?


----------



## jjbaer (Apr 11, 2007)

Sandor said:
			
		

> BrotherBart said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sandor,

again, as with oil, this "doom and gloom" with coal, estimates coal consumption out 20 years into the future but then incorrectly compares it to KNOWN coal reserves in 2007, and doing this is intellectually dishonest......  That would be like projecting your spending out 20 years into the future and comparing it to your current income level and then proclaiming "in 20 years you'll be bankrupt".........now...unless someone can categorically say that "as of 2007, all the coal there will ever be has already been discovered", then the coal "doom and gloom" is BS and is based on faulty assumptions.....am I missing something here.....?


----------



## jjbaer (Apr 11, 2007)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> Just one of a growing list of events that I figure, even with just average luck, I will be out of town for when the event occurs.



Ah...BB.....but responsible people "leave the light on" for their relatives....and that means your shutting down your coal and wood consumption NOW so that in 500 gazillion years your descendants will have some coal and wood too....LOL..... and that's why they're painting this "doom and gloom" NOW....LOL   :cheese:


----------



## BrotherBart (Apr 11, 2007)

castiron said:
			
		

> BrotherBart said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If 230 years isn't long enough for somebody to come up with energy alternatives then they are screwed, blued and tattooed no matter what I do.

Hmmm... Looking around I see they are all tattooed already. One down, two to go.


----------



## jjbaer (Apr 11, 2007)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> castiron said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Fusion in 20 years....wait...the French are in charge of building the fusion reactor prototype.......make that 300 years......need 70 more years coal supplies...LOL....

Forgot to add this: let's see...the avg French work-week is 35 hrs but if this fusion demo reactor were in the USA we'd be working 50 hrs/wk or more to get this to the world.....so.........if we would normally expect fusion to occur in 2020 based on a US 50 hr work-week then kiss fusion good-bye until about 2026 because the French are doing it......LOL........when's the last time you can remember the French conquered anything.......LOL.....

reminds me of that Geiko commercial but with an added twist...when the two news anchors were picking on the cave guy implying he was slow-witted and he responded "yeah....let's see....fire, the wheel, walking upright and fusion...sorry we couldn't get those things to you sooner".....LOL


----------

