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Feb 16, 2009 · Coral reefs, harboring a quarter of ocean species, are threatened, if carbon dioxide continues to rise. The greatest threats, hanging like the sword of Damocles over our children and...
Hansen insists: “It’s crucial that we immediately recognize the need to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to at most 350 ppm in order to avoid disasters for coming generations.”
Jul 2, 2024 · Peaking in the 1970s, the closure of the coal mines, led to a dramatic drop in UK CO2 emissions. For a time, the UK was a global leader in reducing CO2 showing how it is possible to reduce emissions without compromising economic growth.
Sep 1, 2024 · This column examines how the impacts of deindustrialisation in the UK reverberate across generations, finding significant effects on the health, wealth, and living standards of those who grew up under industrial decline.
- An Abundant Natural Resource
- The Steam Engine
- Coal & Transportation
- Coal Gas Lighting
- Other Uses of Coal
- Working Conditions in Mines
- The Safety Lamp
- Reform: The 1842 Mines Act
Coal mining had been a major industry in Britain from the 16th century, ever since forests had been depleted and wood for fuel became scarce. There were four main coalfields: South Wales, southern Scotland, Lancashire, and Northumberland. All four produced high-quality coal, and all were conveniently positioned near waterways of one sort or another...
The greatest invention of the Industrial Revolution was the steam engine, which transformed all manner of tasks and transportation from relying on human, animal, wind, or water power to using the far greater, cheaper, and more consistent power of machines. The steam engine was invented in the first place so that coal mines could be mined deeper and...
The boom in coal production caused a massive expansion in the canal system along and connecting all major rivers and their tributaries from 1750 as this was still the cheapest way to transport such heavy goods (at around half the cost of using roads). By 1830, "Englandand Wales had 3,876 miles [6,237 km] of inland canals, up from 1,399 [2,251 km] i...
Around 1792-4 the Scotsman William Murdock (1754-1839) first demonstrated coal gas could be used for lighting. Murdock had been alerted to the possibility when he had filled a smoking pipe with coal dust and the escaping gas lit when he placed it near an open fire. This new and brighter source of illumination replaced the burning of oil or tallow c...
Coke, made from burning coal in a furnace to remove as many impurities as possible, became an essential fuel for iron- and steelworks. The first working blast furnace using coke was used in 1709 at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, a works owned by AbrahamDarby (1678-1717). Coke-fuelled blast furnaces could reach much higher temperatures than the tradit...
Working in a mine is never the pleasantest of environments, but in the 18th and 19th centuries, the conditions were particularly poor. Hard physical work, most coal faces were worked using pickaxes. The seam of coal being worked might be very narrow indeed so that a miner was forced to work in a space no higher than 30 inches (75 cm). Womenand chil...
With more miners working ever deeper within the Earth, more accidents inevitably occurred. In 1838, there were 97 deaths from roof collapses; in 1864, there were 395. Ropes breaking and letting fall great weights was another common occurrence but was reduced after the introduction of steel cables in mines from the early 1800s. Another serious threa...
In 1842, the Mines Act was pushed through via the efforts of Lord Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury (1801-1885), and public outrage at the increasing frequency of accidents and the knowledge that men and women were working together underground in a state of undress in the hot conditions. Ashley headed a Royal Commission that investigated working conditio...
- Mark Cartwright
Milner issued his first report on 6th November 1916 and recognizing the gravity of the problem by recommending the immediate freezing of coal prices and suggesting the establishment of a Royal Commission to considering the future of the coal industry.
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Feb 4, 2021 · The leading climate scientist James Hansen has warned Boris Johnson that he risks “humiliation“ over plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria. The UK government, which hosts a climate summit this...
