[MCN] Very interesting : the future of coal

[Lance Olsen]

Bloomberg Climate Changed, May 24 2017
There may not be enough coal to fuel the worst-case scenario of global warming, according to a recent study. The discovery <http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/9698918.3053/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9uZXdzL2FydGljbGVzLzIwMTctMDUtMjQvbWlzbGVhZGluZy1jb2FsLWVzdGltYXRlcy1tYXktaGF2ZS1za2V3ZWQtY2xpbWF0ZS1wcm9qZWN0aW9ucz91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fdGVybT0xNzA1MjUmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPWNsaW1hdGVjaGFuZ2Vk/58ffbaf7dd4c29967b8b4646Bef2ec007> would seem a gift to skeptics of climate change and opponents of climate policy, but it's a double-edged sword. The same finding that shrinks CO2 emissions may also lower the cost of dealing with global warming, making the Paris Agreement that addresses climate change easier to achieve.

The plain-language report by Bloomberg does a good job, well worth the time to read it
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-24/misleading-coal-estimates-may-have-skewed-climate-projections?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=170525&utm_campaign=climatechanged <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-24/misleading-coal-estimates-may-have-skewed-climate-projections?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=170525&utm_campaign=climatechanged>

Some of you might want the journal article cited by Bloomberg
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988317301226 <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988317301226>

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 “Research suggests that the scale of human population and the current pace of its growth contribute substantially to the loss of biological diversity. Although technological change and unequal consumption inextricably mingle with demographic impacts on the environment, the needs of all human beings—especially for food—imply that projected population growth will undermine protection of the natural world. Numerous solutions have been proposed to boost food production while protecting biodiversity, but alone these proposals are unlikely to staunch biodiversity loss. An important approach to sustaining biodiversity and human well-being is through actions that can slow and eventually reverse population growth: investing in universal access to reproductive health services and contraceptive technologies, advancing women’s education, and achieving gender equality.”
 
Eileen Crist, Camilo Mora, Robert Engelman. The interaction of human population, food production, and biodiversity protection. Science 21 April 2017

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