Monday, July 27, 2020

UN chief: No place for coal in post-Covid-19 recoveries

Focus Malaysia:

UN chief: No place for coal in post-Covid-19 recoveries


SHANGHAI: Coal should play no part in any country’s post-coronavirus stimulus plan, and economic recovery should align with global climate goals, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a lecture to Chinese students.

“There is no such thing as clean coal, and coal should have no place in any rational recovery plan,” Guterres told an online audience of students and researchers in a lecture organised by Tsinghua University late on Thursday.

“It is deeply concerning that new coal power plants are still being planned and financed, even though renewables offer three times more jobs, and are now cheaper than coal in most countries,” he said.

China is a major consumer of coal and is still developing new coal mines and power projects while also making efforts to develop green energy.

China’s 2020 cap on coal-fired power capacity allows another 60 gigawatts to go into operation, though it is also shutting small and inefficient generators.

Environmental groups have urged governments to use any post-coronavirus economic stimulus to promote green and low-carbon growth, but a study has shown that G20 countries have committed at least US$151 bil (RM643 bil) to support fossil fuel-heavy sectors.

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Xie Zhenhua, special adviser to China’s environment ministry and formerly its chief climate representative, vowed during the Thursday event that China would make “new and greater contributions” to global climate governance and the world’s green economic recovery.

He said China has already met its 2020 energy and carbon commitments and would turn the novel coronavirus crisis into an opportunity to make breakthroughs.

As the goals of the Paris climate agreement fall further from reach, the nature of China’s economic recovery would have a “major impact” on whether or not temperature rises can be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Guterres said.

“By seizing the mantle of leadership, China can help protect all people who share this planet,” he said. - July 24, 2020, Reuters

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kt notes: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may be right but is far too idealistic - he should note that G20 countries have committed at least US$151 bil (RM643 bil) to support fossil fuel-heavy sectors. And chief amongst them is Australia which has enormous coal resources.

Note that 90% of France's energy needs have been supplied by nuclear plants and other renewable sources, while the remaining 10% mainly comes from fossil fuels. Thus even such a nation still requires fossil fuel, let alone nations like Australia (no nuclear plant - it's taboo Downunder), USA and South America.



6 comments:

  1. since ccp export their virus, the earth n environment is getting much better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 犬养 mfer, releasing yr fart in yr well again?

      The earth & environment r indeed getting 'much better' when the covid-19 pandemic is over.

      It would be a paradise, outside China, for dickheads, like u & anglophiles & those wasp elites.

      Bcoz there r less problems now been created by those lowly B40 destitutes, silver agers & unsavory minorities in causing drains on state finance & resources!

      Delete
  2. Germany has a long tradition of using coal bcoz of its rich coal deposits. It is the fourth-largest consumer of coal in the world.

    Domestic coal mining has been almost completely phased out. This is because German coal is a lot more expensive to mine than importing coal from China or Australia.

    Most of the coal r used in 40% of electricity production. However, the Energiewende policy includes phasing out nuclear power by 2022, and progressive replacement of fossil fuels by renewables.

    But this is a hard climb for fossil fuels replacement by renewables, judging from the humongous energy consumption needed by the German economic.

    Current renewable sources, such as solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal power can't meet the demands. Besides,
    Germany spends about 20 billion euros per year subsidizing renewable energy using current renewable energy technologies.

    The problem that ties coal with global climate goals IS a twisted scientific urban legend!

    Coal doesn't necessarily create global warming. It's the utilisation of burning coal that contribute a small portion of the problem.

    There r more efficient ways to burn coal & at the same time to trap the liberated heat to generate energy.

    The classic way of direct burning coal to generate steam to turn a turbine, which in turn moves a generator for electricity production has a very low energy utilization efficiency.

    However, current researches in carbon nanotechnology can offer an alternative of generating electricity w/o going through the heating process! By avoiding the heating process, the heat loss from the coal burning plants, which causes global warming & low energy initialization efficiency is removed from the equation.

    Well designed coal-firing plant reduces aerial particulate pollutants to minimum.

    & coal, has other industrial usages that currently have no other replacement.

    But the large scale extraction of coal ALWAYS causes landscape deterioration & ecological destruction that take years to recover.

    ReplyDelete
  3. China is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide gas in the world with 9.8 billion metric tons in 2017. The primary source of CO2 emissions in China is fossil fuels, notably coal burning. About 70% of the total energy derived in China comes from coal alone, and since coal is rich in carbon, burning it in China's power and industrial plants and boilers releases large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a fart fact of poor research!

      The world ranking of CO2 emission is as follow:

      1) Africa continent 56Mt
      2) EURO 44Mt
      3) Asia 36Mt
      4) Central America 33Mt

      http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions

      China contributes 28% of the World carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the combustion of coal, natural gas, oil, and other fuels, including industrial waste and non-renewable municipal waste.

      Carbon dioxide ISN'T the main ingredient of global warming!

      Methane, fart from animal husbandry, especially cow, is a more deadly contributor.

      Which countries r the world keepers of cows & which countries support them?

      Delete