During the last month or so, the selected articles by France's "Le Monde" news paper, which constitute the NY Times Supplement in the weekend editions of "Le Monde" have repeatedly echoed the despairing news and behaviour of the their country, USA's attitude to coal and Coal burning emissions - 1 new coal fired electricity plant per month and the Olympic Games holder China's programme to build one plant per week, no less! While it is commonly reported, and the NY Times supplement is no exception, that no viable means of capturing and storing CO2 emissions has been finalised. I use the later expression to shed some doubt to such conclusion -certainly progress is slow. What the NY Times supplement does not say so let me suggest the obvious, that USA in particular has a very different agenda during 2008 (and before) implying the coming Presidential elections and the accompanying election money burn not used to the ends underlined in their articles.
I felt it fitting to re-edit this little poem of "mine" written in 2006, (how time flies!) rather appropriate, in the circumstances, don't you think?
OPEN-SKY COAL MINE
(open-cast coal mine)
I intended to avoid the topic of coal,
As a man afraid of "facing" the
dole Money,
monies the man on this payroll,
China! Aussie's too, what's the toll?
Coal,
The most used, so abused source of energy
In much of our blue planets territory,
Mine, down-under, beneath our feet,
Can't you just touch, the feel of its heat.
Coal!
This could be, well.., the name of this street?
Mine, down-under, beneath our feet,
Not for long, in this Newfoundland
Close the rail-carriage window,
Children, Tunnel ahead!
Heads in, bow!
Getting nearer, nearer, to our chosen home yard
Open-sky mine project, -Jeune Garde.
Coal!
Route 58, from. Sancerre's vineyards scene
Fond memories of a mining Pole, La Machine
In South Nivernais, Lucenay
Silly cause or Silicosis? Cossaye
Coal!
Glasgow-black and Auld Reekie lang gone,
The cities fathers ruled Sulphur out-right
Crying -"Grime's a Crime, against Humanity"! , prose?
Shaking-off smog’s mildew -as a rose.
Coal!
(The song continued long after, "Acid rain, acid rain"
At the time this was a well known refrain
Today from space 5 tonnes of Sulphur, let's sprinkle
Victor Hugo, Dumas & Zola would be proud
No Persian Letters these, Alexander endowed.
Buildings, monuments, sandblasted bright
No gas candles for them, but LED- light. from
Coal!
Its focus now on this new match
Shall we choose the tourist trade today?
Working mines as in bygone days, the long way.
Or shall innovation & invention, make their mark,
In some sophisticated scientific way, as the quark?
Through some subtle eco-mix, a trail
Coal!
By non-friction super-conductive rail, race
Or pneumatic closed dust-confining tube-ace
Bring temptation's call, this coalface
To the devils melting-place
Coal!
I did not mention at any time before
Our devils burning desire is therefore
Some thermal combined harvester's drum
For Heat & Electricity to make a planet turn
Coal,
As in ancient times, black as night's mantle
Miner and mineral, indistinguishable
Memories of a Mining Pole, "La Machine"
In Never's "pastures green" Land of "the waters still"
Psalm 23, Refreshing chill, 's
Nuclear & Coal alike.
-As the friendly greeting goes, in the heydays & hay days of coal, "Lang may yur lum reek!" -meaning long-life and good health, ce qui signifie en français; longue vie, bonne santé. The tradition of welcoming a New Year first footer with a lump of coal as a sign of good wishes also is more debateable with regard to the global performance of coal exploitation and effective use in the current context of climate change and cheap & and easy access to energy sources.
(I shall try to remain as poetic as possible in "our project" of the century Open-Sky Coal mine with Thermal powered combined thermal electric power "plant" 1st draft 16 Oct. 06 ) and needless to say as helpful as possible eg. => PS. Add to mining: "Re-Investment in Renewables" & "Carbon Chemistry" with the usual ramifications, socio-cultural-economic... to use a bio/agro analogy. TECHNICAL FIRST: NB. FROM "BLACK to GREEN"
CLEANING COAL -How it works.
Why are we waiting?
Natures first response."The European Union must maintain its leading position in combating climate change, ensure global competitiveness for European industry, and deliver long-term security of the energy supply. The European Technology Platform for Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants has been set up to play a crucial role in enabling Europe to fulfil this commitment, with the development and deployment of new competitive power plant options over the next fifteen years."
(ref. A vision for zero emission fosil fuel power plants, Aug. 2006 )
NB. from the original post:
OPEN-SKY COAL MINE "The European Union must maintain its leading position in combating climate change, ensure global competitiveness for European industry, and deliver long-term security of the energy supply. The European Technology Platform for Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants has been set up to play a crucial role in enabling Europe to fulfil this commitment, with the development and deployment of new competitive power plant options over the next fifteen years."
(ref. A vision for zero emission fossil fuel power plants Aug. 2006 European Union) The future of Coal, vision from MIT ,Boston, USA.
[Link].
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