From the department of choking-on-it:
A US-commissioned study of the world's power stations ranks Australia as the world's worst greenhouse gas emitter on a per capita basis.
The Washington-based Centre for Global Development has surveyed the emissions of 50,000 power stations around the world.
It finds that Australia's power sector is the world's worst in per capita carbon dioxide emissions.
Two power stations, the Bayswater and Eraring plants in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, are among the top 100 greenhouse gas emitters in the world.
Study author David Wheeler hopes the survey will help force change.
"I think if there's going to be an international corporate discussion among CEOs about taking a cleaner path in this sphere, then certainly those two Australian companies would be part of that dialogue," he said.
The study shows the world's power stations emit nearly 10 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Not good news for Australia. It's not good news to me, either, since my dad helped design and build both Bayswater and Eraring.
3 comments:
Neil, ask your father if he believes CO2 is a harmful pollutant.
I'd like to know what he says. The handful of engineers at my company I've asked have unanimously said no.
Here's my Dad's reply:
Interesting. CO2 is a prolific and essential component of the atmosphere. The bubbles in soft drink and sparkling wines are plain old CO2. The trees and all vegetation consume it as essential nourishment to their growth.
As we breathe, our lungs exhale more CO2 than is in the inhaled air. The CO2 in that case is a waste gas associated with our digestion of carbohydrates and other foods, plus the "garbage" we expel as our bodies safely decay.
We are CARBON- BASED LIFE FORMS.
I have heard statistics on this week's news "Australian coal fired power stations deliver more CO2 per capita than other countries...."
Some notable writer years ago said THERE ARE LIES, THERE ARE BLOODY LIES, AND THERE ARE STATISTICS.
Tons of CO2 per capita is a vague non-specific function. A journalist has spun the story, left out some vital aspects.
Australian coal- fired stations are up there with the very best in the world, re the processing/ filtering/ management of flue gases. Our Aussie coal has superb fuel content ie it is very rich in carbon, and very free of the poisons such as sulphur and the cancer producers such as ash and silica, which are common in foreign countries' coals.
Carbon is the ingredient which makes the flame which boils the water and turns the turbine. Yes that clean fuel delivers CO2 quantity proportional to the mass of carbon in the coal. Per capita, Aussies consume electricity Kilowatt Hours of very high magnitudes. The Lucky Country. And the chimney smoke at Bayswater, Wallerawang Eraring and Mt Piper etc is almost invisible. Very little poisonous muck goes out of the chimney. So the Press and TV turn their cameras to the cooling towers, such spectacular structures which deliver distilled water to the heavens, to fall soon after as clean essential rain!
I haven't spoken to Dad about his opinion of Global warming yet...
Please thank your father for his direct answer. It was very much in line with the answers I got from my colleagues.
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