Gas is dirty energy & may be dirtier than coal - Oz Labor’s "gas is clean energy" means Put Labor Last
18 May 2011, 00:04, by Dr Gideon Polya
UPDATE.
In Australia, a world leading annual per capita greenhouse gas polluter, the extreme right wing, pro-coal, pro-gas, pro-war Labor government is pretending to "tackle climate change" by proposing a Carbon Tax-driven coal-to-gas transition for electricity production.
However a coal to gas transition will in actuality double the GHG pollution from Australian electricity generation because methane (CH4) is circa 85% of natural gas, leaks (3.3% as assessed from the latest US EPA data) and is 105 times worse than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a GHG on a 20 year time scale taking aerosol impacts into account (for a detailed and documented assessment see: “Australia’s Carbon Tax And Coal To Gas Transition Will Double Power Generation Greenhouse Gas Pollution “, Countercurrents, 15 May 2011: http://www.countercurrents.org/poly... ) .
This assessment has been sent to many Australian MPs and the following letter has been sent to Australian Mainstream media - but the Silence is deafening in look-the-other-way Australia, the Land of flies, lies and slies (spin-based untruths):
"The Australian Government via Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says that a major consequence of the Carbon Tax will be a coal-to-gas transition for fossil fuel burning for electric power.
Methane leaks (3.3%) and is 105 times worse than CO2 as a greenhouse gas (GHG) on a 20 year timeframe and taking aerosol impacts into account.
A coal-to-gas transition for electricity generation assuming 3.3% gas leakage would add an extra 4.5 tonnes CO2-e of GHG pollution for every tonne of coal replaced.
This means that the Gillard Labor Government’s Carbon Tax-driven coal-to-gas transition will actually double GHG pollution from electricity generation as well as killing the steel industry.
There is no point “doing something” if that something is counterproductive. If people won’t take the science seriously then the current Australian Carbon Tax debate is worse than futile.
What should Australia do? I would suggest phased down cessation of fossil fuel exports and burning coupled with an urgent shift to biochar production, re-afforestation and wind power (the cheapest and most mature renewable energy technology) using Australian-made steel ($144-200 billion for 260,000 GWh/year), this leaving the agriculture challenge (over 50% of the GHG pollution problem).
UPDATE.
In Australia, a world leading annual per capita greenhouse gas polluter, the extreme right wing, pro-coal, pro-gas, pro-war Labor government is pretending to "tackle climate change" by proposing a Carbon Tax-driven coal-to-gas transition for electricity production.
However a coal to gas transition will in actuality double the GHG pollution from Australian electricity generation because methane (CH4) is circa 85% of natural gas, leaks (3.3% as assessed from the latest US EPA data) and is 105 times worse than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a GHG on a 20 year time scale taking aerosol impacts into account (for a detailed and documented assessment see: “Australia’s Carbon Tax And Coal To Gas Transition Will Double Power Generation Greenhouse Gas Pollution “, Countercurrents, 15 May 2011: http://www.countercurrents.org/poly... ) .
This assessment has been sent to many Australian MPs and the following letter has been sent to Australian Mainstream media - but the Silence is deafening in look-the-other-way Australia, the Land of flies, lies and slies (spin-based untruths):
"The Australian Government via Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says that a major consequence of the Carbon Tax will be a coal-to-gas transition for fossil fuel burning for electric power.
Methane leaks (3.3%) and is 105 times worse than CO2 as a greenhouse gas (GHG) on a 20 year timeframe and taking aerosol impacts into account.
A coal-to-gas transition for electricity generation assuming 3.3% gas leakage would add an extra 4.5 tonnes CO2-e of GHG pollution for every tonne of coal replaced.
This means that the Gillard Labor Government’s Carbon Tax-driven coal-to-gas transition will actually double GHG pollution from electricity generation as well as killing the steel industry.
There is no point “doing something” if that something is counterproductive. If people won’t take the science seriously then the current Australian Carbon Tax debate is worse than futile.
What should Australia do? I would suggest phased down cessation of fossil fuel exports and burning coupled with an urgent shift to biochar production, re-afforestation and wind power (the cheapest and most mature renewable energy technology) using Australian-made steel ($144-200 billion for 260,000 GWh/year), this leaving the agriculture challenge (over 50% of the GHG pollution problem).
Yours sincerely,
Dr Gideon Polya
PS. For a detailed and documented analysis see: http://www.countercurrents.org/poly... . "