Dirty diesel?
At Orroroo in South Australia, Linc Energy plans to gasify coal in underground seams to produce “syngas”. Piped to the surface, this will be turned partly into diesel via the Fischer-Tropsch process.
What will be the life-cycle emissions from this diesel? In a 2001 US Department of Energy study, John Marano and Jared Ciferno arrive at a figure for Fischer-Tropsch coal-to-liquids diesel nearly twice that for diesel from petroleum. Powering a typical SUV, the emissions would be 939-962 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile compared to 468-574 grams.
Linc maintains (Write On #836) that these figures, based on above-ground gasification, do not characterise its own operations. Does this claim hold up?
Underground coal gasification (UCG) avoids the emissions cost of mining and transporting the coal. Marano and Ciferno, however, conclude that this cost is relatively small — 9-27 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile. Converting the coal to diesel, they state, then accounts for 585 grams.
Of these 585 grams, part is represented by the emissions cost of gasifying the coal (including creating the above-ground gasifier). Another part stems from the energy-intensive process in which gas molecules are combined into hydrocarbon chains. Then there is the emissions cost of refining.
As Linc argues, UCG probably allows significant emissions savings compared to above-ground gasification. But does this result in diesel with low greenhouse emissions?
Tom Beer and others at the CSIRO examine the life-cycle emissions of Fischer-Tropsch diesel made from natural gas — an already gasified feedstock. They arrive at a figure per kilometre roughly 20% above that for low-sulphur petroleum diesel.
They conclude: “Because of the extra processing energy, [Fischer-Tropsch diesel from natural gas] produces more exbodied greenhouse gases than any of the conventional or alternative fuels studied in this report.”
This indicates strongly that Linc's diesel will have greenhouse emissions higher by at least 20% — and perhaps much more — than the petroleum product.
Renfrey Clarke
Adelaide, South Australia
General strike in Bolivia
Upon discovering that a general strike had broke out in Bolivia (see coverage http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8672440.stm and here) I went to the GLW website to see what you had to say about this important working-class struggle in South America, an area which features in much of your coverage.
Unfortunately, I found no coverage of the event on your website.
This is odd, as you have many articles (for instance, “Bolivia's mining dilemmas” and “Bolivia: Between mother earth and an extraction economy”) which have been written over a week after the general strike has been underway, which both fail to mention what is the most significant political event in Bolivia at this moment.
Even stranger, “Bolivia’s mining dilemmas” talks about the very sector where some of the most militant working-class struggle is taking place.
The struggle taking place in Bolivia is about more than just wages (although that is a just reason for a strike as any) as Guido Midma, the executive secretary of the Bolivian miners’ union federation has explained:
“No changes have occurred in the last four years … The wage increase is miserable, even more so when the government is siding with the business community at a time when international mineral prices are on the rise. The government is forcing workers into exploitation and slavery.”
GLW often sings the praises of what they claim to be Bolivia's “socialism”. It would be appropriate if you responded to this important development in the class struggle of the Bolivian working class against the ultimately pro-capitalist and pro-boss Evo Morales-led government that has led itself down the path of supporting the very system which GLW claims to be rallying against.
Jordan Humphreys
Sydney, NSW [Abridged.]
Wishing TWS a speedy resolution
Thank you to your Hobart correspondents for the fine article about the problems besetting The Wilderness Society (GLW #836).
As someone who organised the conference in Germantown, Tasmania where the TWS became the real national organisation of TWS, and devoted years of mostly volunteer time involved in TWS campaigns (Franklin River, forests, Douglas Apsley, etc) I find this situation deeply saddening.
It is often difficult for large organisations to keep in touch with their grassroots membership and continue to encourage mass participation of members. TWS has managed to remain true to its activist beginnings over a long time, but it is the case that such disputes do develop.
I hope TWS manages to resolve the disunity as quickly as possible and keeps up its vital efforts, as this present division helps only those rapacious forces that are relentlessly plundering the precious natural habitats and wildlife of Australia and elsewhere in the world. I hope all those involved can bring this to a speedy conclusion with least hurt and damage to TWS and its members as possible.
My heart goes out to all concerned.
Steven Katsineris
Hurstbridge, Vic
Cuba in a time warp
Green Left Weekly is a socialist paper. I read your paper on occasion, but am liberal really.
I seriously question how many of your writers have actually gone to Cuba and spoken to the general population. I can see a vastly different Cuba from my experience than your paper speaks of.
The vast majority of the Cuban people badly want change; they know things are not going well or improving. You can not speak freely; criticising Cuban politicians is a ticket for trouble. Living, even in Cuba, on $20 a month is mind boggling.
I know their struggles well. They hear the same slogans decade after decade yet little changes. They do not want very old generals almost 80 as the vice presidents. They want to be able to travel without very difficult [processes] to obtain exit permits.
They would like to see the internet and foreign media, which they don't without much difficulty. They clamour for change. You will only know this, however, if you spend much time there and get to know their real opinions.
They are not free and they know it. Leaving the country is what a great many of the Cuban youth today see as their only hope to advance. Their communist system is not going well and the dinosaurs who rule block much real reform.
Without new ideas a system stagnates, and they’re in a time warp big time.
Bradley Roth [By email.]