IEA doubles global gas reserves estimates

thecoalthief · Post by **thecoalthief** » 20 Jan 2011, 20:25

TroubledTimes wrote:

Brazilian oil last week, new gas estimates this week...
Genuine new reserves?
Or propaganda to calm markets?

Lord Beria3 · Post by **Lord Beria3** » 20 Jan 2011, 20:25

Interesting...

A lot depends upon pricing, investment and future advances of technology.

I won't rubbish the report but nor will I rush to say that we are saved. I suspect that in the relatively short term, unconventional gas will mitigate some of the worst effects of PO in the coming decades.

This does not mean that the world (at least certain parts of it) painful changes, a kind of secondary catabolic collapse for the West, which will transition us to something like a Third World economy by mid-century.

In terms of all-liquids global peak (conventional and unconventional fossil fuels) I think we will hit this around 2030 - including oil, gas and coal.

People here are idealogically opposed to coal and remain too fixated on conventional oil - of course it is important, but the world can and will adapt to other fossil fuels, if it has to (irrespective of whether you think they SHOULD do).

On that basis, a all liquid peak around 2030 allows for certain parts of the world with relatively healthy state finances anather 2 decades of economic growth - primarily parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Other parts of the world are still f***ed, certainly parts of Europe and broad swathes of the United States in the coming 30 years.

The future going forward is nunced and complex, not quite 'we are all doomed' or everything is rosy like some reports coming out tend to give the impression.

Post by **clv101** » 20 Jan 2011, 20:36

Lord Beria3 wrote:People here are idealogically opposed to coal and remain too fixated on conventional oil - of course it is important, but the world can and will adapt to other fossil fuels, if it has to (irrespective of whether you think they SHOULD do).

Did you read this article?
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/7246

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 20 Jan 2011, 21:16

thecoalthief wrote: Genuine new reserves?

No. I think this is a claim about technology that turns coal into gas whilst it is still underground. 75% of the coal in the coalfields of north-east is still in the ground, even though most of the mines closed decades ago. A lot of it is underneath the North Sea and very hard to access. There is now technology available which pumps steam and other shit down a hole and extracts most of the energy from the coal as gaseous hydrocarbons which get sent to the surface through another hole. This means that a whole load of existing coal reserves can now be classed as gas reserves.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 21 Jan 2011, 10:45

Lord Beria3 wrote:People here are idealogically opposed to coal

I'm not. I think it's amazing stuff. It powered the Industrial Revolution and allowed the development of some brilliant technology, it powered the railway network for the majority of its life, and all the infrastructure of the traditional coal industry is fascinating.

Unfortunately, extracting and using it causes lots of health problems for the people involved, and fucks up the climate, risking making the planet uninhabitable, or at least far more difficult to inhabit, by us humans.

I would love to live in a world full of steam trains and coal mines, but it's not sustainable, so I'm opposed to coal for practical reasons, not idealogical ones!

Post by **clv101** » 21 Jan 2011, 10:52

Well said John!

vtsnowedin · Post by **vtsnowedin** » 21 Jan 2011, 12:57

The Hydrofracking guys are getting themselves in trouble here with contaminating water supplies with the unnamed chemicals they inject into the wells. So much so that they have become the villains in more then one popular TV show episodes. It sounds nice drawing usable energy out from under the green countryside without disturbing the land and buildings above but apparently its not all energy without a downside. Also I have to wonder what the source of these proprietary chemical mixes are and is there a potential of reaching "Peak Chemical" if you greatly expand the industry?
I expect we will develop this potential source as a substitute for conventional oil to it's full potential, solving it's problems as best we can. Is there any reason the entire rail system in the UK could not be run on compressed coal gas or electricity from gas fired electric plants?

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:14

have become the villains in more then one popular TV show

That's a very interesting step forward. Successfully painting something as "anti-social" is the best way to get rid of it, because the public will support whoever prohibits it.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:18

I am ideologically opposed to granite.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:38

Oooh I dunno it's quite useful. You can make snazzy kitchen worktops out of it or vitrify nuclear waste in it...but you can't do both...

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:42

Granite is actually linked geologically with radon - from natural nuclear decay of uranium. There are parts of the UK where you don't want passive-haus levels of ventilation unless you have a sealed concrete floor. Radon seeps out of the ground and collects at floor level, quietly irradiating you .

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:48

RalphW wrote:Granite is actually linked geologically with radon - from natural nuclear decay of uranium. There are parts of the UK where you don't want passive-haus levels of ventilation unless you have a sealed concrete floor. Radon seeps out of the ground and collects at floor level, quietly irradiating you .

Blimey, and I thought I was joking . . .

The concept of being ideologically opposed to a piece of rock tickled me, that's all!

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 21 Jan 2011, 16:54

You can see the effect on Cornish life-expectancy figures. Can't remember the number of years ottomh, but it's measureable.

eatyourveg · Post by **eatyourveg** » 21 Jan 2011, 18:23

RenewableCandy wrote:You can see the effect on Cornish life-expectancy figures. Can't remember the number of years ottomh, but it's measureable.

No RC, that is to do with their Breton links. Seriously though radon is an issue around and on Dartmoor too.

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