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Re: [Phys-l] coal




----- Original Message ----- From: <Spinozalens@aol.com>

We have an absurdly large supply of ridiculously
cheap coal (sorry - I'm not swayed by arguments of "true" cost).

While you may not be swayed about arguments of coal's true cost, you pay
for it anyway, via your health and the health of society. Denying them
is absurd. Several posts here have made that clear.

Consider where we would be if we never used coal--calculate that cost. Most of us would probably never have lived--seeing that the industrial revolution and most of the technology and science (medicine) that flowed from that revolution would not exist. Consider a 17th Century life style. Even give yourself a reasonable amount of wealth. How many here would choose to use the 'wayback machine' and live in those times. [Used to give a paper in my Gen-Ed course (all women). You could be Queen Elizabeth the First, a rich woman in 1890, or yourself today. Research the other two lifestyles and choose your preference. Not surprisingly, no one wanted to change!]

So, in my mind, the positive contributions of coal (to this point in history) far outweigh the negatives. Your 'true costs' need to include the positives as well as the negatives.

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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Free Physics Software
PC & Mac
www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
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