"James Hansen, renowned NASA climate scientist, says we should cut off access to coal at source, because it is “the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet”. Tim Flannery, who visited NZ recently, has said the same: “There is so much carbon buried in theworld’s coal seams [alone] that, should it find its way back to thesurface, it would make the planet hostile to life as we know it.”
Climate carbon negotiations: a black hole, and a new idea
by Claire Browning
7 comments:
How? wasn't all that carbon in the atmosphere once?
How did life survive when it was? (Coal is made of life)
The atmosphere back then may have been fine for chitons and slaters Shunda, but toxic for humans.
Do you think that if (hypothetically) all of the arbon that now lies underground as oil, coal and gas was released into the present day atmosphere, we'd continue to enjoy liveable conditions? I think the effect would be cataclysmic. Gradually 'leaking' it out but mining and drilling will result in much the same thing - severe climate disruption. I'm not keen to be struggling for survival in a 'hostile' climate. The report certainly belts a nail (the final one) into Copenhagen, Emissions Trading Schemes and Kyoto and makes the one bold claim - stop coal extraction world-wide.
That's gonna take some doing!
Shunda, you are right that that carbon was in the atmosphere once - but not all at once!!
Our carbon cycle is what makes conditions on earth hospitable to an abundance of life forms, and the processes that put carbon into the ground as oil/coal operate over timescales of millions of years - compare this to the mere decades that it takes humans to extract and burn these hydrocarbons!
If we didn't have carbon cycling (& storage in the ground), we would have a runaway greenhouse effect - just check out the conditions of Venus for a taste of what that would be like!
Tarsh, are you sure about that?
Because from my understanding most of the worlds coal comes from rocks about the same age.
And the comparison with Venus is irrelevant, do you know how long Venus takes to rotate on it's axis?
I'll give you a hint, it is longer than the Venetian year!!
That's a lot of solar energy in one spot!
Shunda!
Are you getting your scientific information from the Good Book?
You haven't answered my question to you (though of course you're not obliged) - "Do you think that if (hypothetically) all of the carbon that now lies underground as oil, coal and gas was released into the present day atmosphere, we'd continue to enjoy liveable conditions?"
Probably not.
I am pretty sure all that coal was laid down at about the same time about a gazillion years ago, wasn't it?
I am not a "young earth" creationist Robert.
It's an interesting question Shunda but given that there are many grades of coal, from soggy, peaty lignite through to anthracite (graphite, diamond) then I doubt that it was laid down at the same time.
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