Matt (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dezakin) wrote,@ 2005-10-04 13:07:00 |
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Funny, but now I'm in favor of some carbon caps
On large power plants. Now friends of mine often seem to place me (with some justification) as a bit of an anarcho-capitalist on environmental issues. I fall a bit in line with the 'Pave the Earth' crowd since I tend to subscribe to the idea that we'll end up doing it anyways, and if we don't the children of mankind will. Enter the robots, cylons, terminators, or downloaded humans who spend nearly all their time pursuing new virtual representations of pornography.
And so it should be of little surprise that I was against Kyoto. Well, maybe some since it was argued that there are reasonable human interest arguments for curbing climate change. But my point of view on climate change now is 'in for a penny, in for a pound.'
But now I find myself not in opposition to some carbon capping: Specifically coal power plants.
Because using coal for electric power production is a huge waste of coal. We have enough uranium and thorium to run our current demand for electricity for about 10^9th years, and nuclear power is competitive with coal economically. Finally, coal is better utilized for production of diesel and gasoline through fischer-tropsch polymerization (aka liquefaction.) and its reckoned to be price competitive when oil is trading above 35 dollars per barrel. Oil's up to 65 dollars per barrel and I doubt it will ever fall below 35 dollars per barrel for any length of time again.
Sasol (South african company that does large scale coal liquefaction) stands to make a lot of money in the coming years. SSL for the speculative investor out there.
On large power plants. Now friends of mine often seem to place me (with some justification) as a bit of an anarcho-capitalist on environmental issues. I fall a bit in line with the 'Pave the Earth' crowd since I tend to subscribe to the idea that we'll end up doing it anyways, and if we don't the children of mankind will. Enter the robots, cylons, terminators, or downloaded humans who spend nearly all their time pursuing new virtual representations of pornography.
And so it should be of little surprise that I was against Kyoto. Well, maybe some since it was argued that there are reasonable human interest arguments for curbing climate change. But my point of view on climate change now is 'in for a penny, in for a pound.'
But now I find myself not in opposition to some carbon capping: Specifically coal power plants.
Because using coal for electric power production is a huge waste of coal. We have enough uranium and thorium to run our current demand for electricity for about 10^9th years, and nuclear power is competitive with coal economically. Finally, coal is better utilized for production of diesel and gasoline through fischer-tropsch polymerization (aka liquefaction.) and its reckoned to be price competitive when oil is trading above 35 dollars per barrel. Oil's up to 65 dollars per barrel and I doubt it will ever fall below 35 dollars per barrel for any length of time again.
Sasol (South african company that does large scale coal liquefaction) stands to make a lot of money in the coming years. SSL for the speculative investor out there.
