The Coal Fire that keeps on burning

Spotted online earlier this week...

The story of a town called Centralia in Pennsylvania, USA, which in 1962 began burning rubbish in an abandoned mine.

Unfortunately, the mine led to a coal seam which, with the constant burning, ignited the coal.

Officials thought they'd out it out but a few days later the coal re-ignited. Since then there's been an ongoing battle that saw the town evacuated in the 80's due to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

The fire still burns today - the only visible signs to visitors being steam vents and warning signs. Smoke can still be seen rising up though cracks in the road.

A 1983 study indicated that the fire could continue to burn for another 250 years, affecting 37,000 acres and possibly endangering other nearby towns.

You can read the full fascinating story at Sweet Solar Home.

Science Museum unveils trillionth tonne of coal

Just in case you missed it on the BBC's website this week...

"On Thursday, 22nd October 2009, a single tonne of anthracite coal was unveiled in the Science Museum in London as part of a new exhibition on climate change."

The article goes onto explain how the trillionth tonne matters because of the carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere it represents, since the dawn of the industrial age in the 18th Century.

This blog is obviously dedicated to not just solar power but all forms of renewable energy. If ever a stark reminder of why renewable energy is so critical to us, were needed - you'll want to read the rest of this very fine piece on the BBC's Science and Environment web page.

All this just ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December.

photo credit: NIOSH