Coal-Sponsored CNN Promotes Climate Killer Coal Technology
Coal-Sponsored CNN Promotes Climate Killer Coal Technology
On CNN this morning, senior business correspondent Ali Velshi discussed the new record high oil prices reached today. American Morning co-host Kiran Chetry asked Velshi about ways to conserve, such as hybrids. His response:
I just spoke to the CEO of Sasol, the old South African oil company. They make gasoline out of coal. If oil is not $50 or higher, it doesn’t make it worth doing that. But at 112 bucks, 113 bucks, why not?
Watch it:
Why not convert coal into gasoline using coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology? After all, the United States does have abundant coal reserves, and CTL is a well-established technology, having been developed by scientists in Nazi Germany:
Liquid coal increases our addiction to fossil fuels. The way to break an addiction to fossil fuels is to figure out how to use less, not consume more. To replace ten percent of our oil consumption would require an increase in coal mining by 40%.
Liquid coal is a climate killer. The energy required to convert coal to liquid fuel doubles the amount of carbon dioxide released compared to petroleum-based gasoline, producing a “ton of carbon dioxide for each barrel of liquid fuel.”
I hope CNN’s Velshi is promoting coal-to-liquid technology unwittingly, and not because his network has been receiving millions of dollars from the coal industry to run their debates — debates where questions about global warming are rarely if ever asked.
Transcript:
CHETRY: And aren’t we seeing more viable options for trying to conserve, I mean..
VELSHI: Yeah, sure, when it’s this…
CHETRY: Hybrids are becoming more commonplace, I mean…
VELSHI: I just spoke to the CEO of Sasol, the old South African oil company. They make gasoline out of coal. If oil is not $50 or higher, it doesn’t make it worth doing that. But at 112 bucks, 113 bucks, why not?
2 Responses to “Coal-Sponsored CNN Promotes Climate Killer Coal Technology”
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It almost seems daft to ask “why” gasoline and oil prices are so high right now. Or more pertinently, why nobody in a position of power wants to do anything about the high energy prices. The oil companies and foreign powers are raking in record profits. We don’t need to cast about too long looking for who benefits.
However, this story does present an interesting angle. One side benefit of energy prices being so high is that all these novel methods of extracting oil are now cost efficient for the oil companies. Many fields that could not be exploited while oil was less than $50/barrel are now financially viable.
I wonder if by pouring money into these expensive oil fields the oil companies are structurally changing the market. Oil will simply never be allowed to drop back to its pre-war prices because doing so would mean that a great many investments in these oil fields would be lost.
OPEC would willingly go along with a new floor for oil prices that ensures these investments pay out since they are able to rake in record profits and there is no sign of demand going down.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pmI am not sure how you can say that CNN is promoting Coal Technology. CNN is making money off every possible solution to the undebated climate change; whether it is Al Gore’s patents that get the money or coal technology or any other idea that we should be pursuing if for no other reason then to end the unending wars for oil. I personally don’t believe we could possibly know enough to understand every possible scientific reason for global warming to claim the debate is over, let alone “fix” the problems. The real agenda is to create a global cause that needs global governance and therefore a global tax…woohoo gives us more money we will fix your problems. open your eyes.
The day i see Al Gore give up his cozy mansion and live off the earth without impact is the day I will fully believe that the motivation is something other than financially based…I saw a beyond tomorrow program the other day that showed some nice fully contained living pods…900 square feet and with all the amenities, he should love the reduction of his human footprint.
I am fully behind alternative energy, all forms that will end our petroleum dependence and make the air a little nicer to breath.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:48 pm