The NMA has put this spin into a new site http://www.futurecoalfuels.org/. This is intended to rally people behind the cause of turning coal into a liquid fuel. They site energy independence from foreign oil and cleaner fuels that will not contribute to global warming as the reasons why we need this technology. Energy independence, maybe, but at what price? Who cares if we are independent of foreign oil if we further damage the climate and completely collapse the global economy? The fact of the matter is that these people are trying to trick you into supporting their agenda which will help to damage the climate.
I am going to break down the science to some basic truths. We will cover some basic chemistry. First of all, fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) are all what we call hydrocarbons. A hydrocarbon can be any molecular chain that consists of different combinations of hydrogen and carbon. Energy is released from these chains when they are exposed to both oxygen and heat (read: fire). Your result is the flame or explosion you get when these are burned or combusted in an engine. These reactions always have two products, water and carbon dioxide - CO2. Anything else that is produced is incidental, we really only care about the CO2 for the purposes of our discussion. CO2 is a greenhouse gas and the more of it that is in the atmosphere the warmer our climate gets. Coal is a hydrocarbon and when burned, in whatever form, even if cleaned of other impurities that cause toxic pollution, it will still add CO2 to the atmosphere. That carbon which was trapped below ground as coal, oil or natural gas is now in the atmosphere heating up our planet.
There is no such thing as "clean coal". The fact of the matter is that any time you burn a fossil fuel you are doing damage. Speak out against the propaganda.
More reading: Greenpeace on "Clean Coal"
Modern technology Owes ecology An apology.~Alan M. Edison
Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find. ~Quoted in Time
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