倪维斗在文章中谈到了“洁净煤发电技术”应用的可能性。但是多方阅读资料显示这项技术要大量投入使用需要3到5年，到2020年前将会“大量”投入使用。但是作者也在文章中承认短时间内安装脱硫项目并没有达到预期效果。为什么我们要相信“洁净煤技术”又能行得通呢？中国预计2007年将会修建500所电站。有多少会使用“洁净煤技术”发电呢？现在尚且没有把洁净煤技术和二氧化碳捕获技术结合起来进行商业操作——众所周知，这是非常复杂和昂贵的工艺。如果洁净煤技术真的那么有效，那么它就不得不和现存的电站进行竞争。中国科学院可持续发展研究中心就英国斯特恩报告所写的文件说：“人为维持低价和能源补贴以保护大型国有和不景气企业单位在竞争中受损。”政治力量也插手了煤能源，据了解许多当地政权和公司都拒绝为新能源技术做任何投资。这样的结果不仅危及全球气候，而且严重危及中国人的身体健康。例如，英国媒体站在中国媒体的报道说，中国山西省人民因为工业烟雾太浓影响生活而爆发不满。在该省环保局的调查中，超过90%的人表示经济增长也不能弥补如此骇人听闻的损失。中国青年日报报道，这次调查发现90%的市民和当地干部反对因为采取措施保护环境从而减缓经济发展。重庆早报报道，山西一名张姓矿主拥有3辆不同颜色的劳斯莱斯，以及为他全家成员准备的车队。评论家岳建国对山西这次民意调查下此评论：“普通人因为污染的空气和水而死亡，官员们却用矿泉水洗蔬菜，甚至洗脚，”与此同时，无论英国和世界人们做什么样的努力来改变气候变化都有可能会变成徒劳无功。卡尔•马克思死于肺病，这也许要部分地归功于伦敦糟糕的空气。 很遗憾马克思没有对促进工业革命发展和引起今天环境危机的——煤多加注意。

Weidou Ni talks about technological possibilities for "clean coal power" but a close reading reveals that it will take 3 to 5 years to get a large scale pilot and by 2020 a "significant" number will be in use.

Yet he acknowledges that a rush to install sulfur removing technologies did not go well. Why should we believe that "clean coal technologies" will go well. China plans to build 500 power stations in the next few years. How many will be "clean coal". No where in the world is clean coal associated with carbon capture and seqestration actually up and running commercially - everyone knows that it will be very complicated and expensive.

If clean coal is become costs effective it will have to compete against existing power plants. Yet, according to the Research Centre for Sustainable Development at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in a paper they wrote for the UK Stern Review:

"Artificially kept low price and energy subsidies protect large state-owned and inefficient technologies from competition with advanced ones."

A political power block is built up around coal power and my reading is that many local political and economic bosses refuse to spend on new technologies and the result is not only a threat to global climate but an appalling threat to the health of Chinese citizens now.

For example I read in the UK media that Chinese media have reported a revolt among the citizens of Shanxi who are choking in the smoke. More than 90% of people surveyed by the
provincial bureau for environmental protection said economic growth cannot go on at such an appalling cost.

The same survey, reported by the China Youth Daily, found that 90% of mayors and local cadres opposed any moves to protect the environment that might slow the economy. Apparently one mine boss in Shanxi named Zhang
owns three Rolls-Royces of different colours plus a fleet of other luxury
cars for his extended family, according to the Chongqing Morning Post, a daily newspaper.

"While normal people die of polluted air and water, officials use mineral
water to wash their vegetables and even their feet," said Yue Jianguo, an
analyst, commenting on the Shanxi survey.

Meanwhile, whatever we do in the UK and the rest of the world to try to deal with climate change is in danger of becoming totally irrelevant.

Perhaps its worth remembering that Karl Marx died of a lung complaint which was probably in part caused by London's appalling air pollution- and had to flee the London fogs shortly before he died. It's a pity he didn't put his mind to the driver of the industrial revolution and today's crisis - coal.