Pitiful sob story by head of World Coal Association

Milton Catelin, Chief Executive of the World Coal Association, told Power Engineering International that leaders are wrong not to give more consideration to investment in clean coal technology.

Power Engineering international

04/08/2014

By Diarmaid Williams
International Digital Editor

Catelin went on to claim -

“We don’t ‘push’ particular clean coal technologies over others.”

“Coal refining could remove other impurities such as mercury and sulphur,” he added. “However, the best earliest action on mitigation that could be undertaken now with off-the-shelf technology would be to raise the global average efficiency at coal power plants from their current 34 per cent to 40 per cent.”

Milton Catelin pleads for world leaders to give coal another chance

In reality the coal industry had its chance to develop clean coal as a viable energy resource, and, upon realising that this would reduce demand for coal, turned its back on it.

.@mefbama @1Viperbabe Technology to remove mercury from #coal and cut emissions exists. China buys it from the U.S. http://t.co/D4bNGGRS1X
— Askgerbil Now (@Askgerbil) August 3, 2014

The head of the World Coal Association is now pushing a pathetic case for coal power plants that achieve only 40 per cent thermal efficiency, feeling safe in the belief that political leaders are so stupid they will throw good money into smoky power plants spewing toxic chemicals into the air and that waste most of the coal poured into their furnaces.

Heatwave kills more than bushfires

January 2009 Heatwave in Victoria:
an Assessment of Health Impacts

JANUARY 2009's extraordinary heatwave killed 374 Victorians, more than double the number of deaths in the Black Saturday bushfires.

Overview

This report by the Chief Health Officer, Victoria, Australia provides an analysis of the health impacts of the January 2009 Victorian heatwave. This was a period during which Victoria experienced the most extreme temperatures, with many records set for high day and night time temperatures, as well as for the duration of extreme heat.

Over the five days, 27-31 January 2009, maximum temperatures were 12-15°C above normal over much of Victoria. The temperature was above 43°C for three consecutive days from 28-30 January reaching a peak of 45.1°C on 30 January 2009.

Figure 10. Deaths between 26 Jan and 1 Feb: Mean deaths in 2004–08 vs 2009

374 excess deaths occurred in the week 26 January to 1 February, 2009 compared to the same period over the preceding 5 years.

The majority, 294 excess deaths were of people aged 65 and over.