- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
- Messages
- 52,009
- Reaction score
- 33,944
- Location
- The Golden State
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Nations That Debate Coal Use Export It to Feed China’s Need
Good economic news for the US as it struggles with the balance of trade, but not such good news from the standpoint of slowing down global climate change. We may as well learn to live with the results of coal burning, as nothing short of an unprecedented and highly unlikely global cooperation is going to slow it down.
Unless, of course, someone gets busy and perfects cold fusion.
Even as developed countries close or limit the construction of coal-fired power plants out of concern over pollution and climate-warming emissions, coal has found a rapidly expanding market elsewhere: Asia, particularly China. At ports in Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Africa, ships are lining up to load coal for furnaces in China, which has evolved virtually overnight from a coal exporter to one of the world’s leading purchasers.
The price rose to $60 from $40 a ton five years ago to a high of $200 in 2008. Coal delivered to southern China currently sells for $114 per ton.
China, which was a perennial coal exporter until 2009, the first year that it imported more than it sent out, is expected to import up to 150 million tons this year.
Good economic news for the US as it struggles with the balance of trade, but not such good news from the standpoint of slowing down global climate change. We may as well learn to live with the results of coal burning, as nothing short of an unprecedented and highly unlikely global cooperation is going to slow it down.
Unless, of course, someone gets busy and perfects cold fusion.