These maps show how areas that the sea would cover if all the Antarctic ice eventually melts raising the sea level by 68 metres in total. If the Greenland
ice melts, the sea will rise by 7 metres. The greatest risk is that the west part of the antarctic is breaking up which could cause a sea level rise of four meters by the end of the century which threatens to drown coastal towns and there will be more hurricanes, tornados, flooding, severe storm weather, spread of deserts and widespread droughts.
The light blue areas are those that would be flooded.
China plans 150,000 MW wind generation by 2020 (in 2009 it was 12,000 MW) (p9 of ref 208).
Chinas problem with underground coal fires.
Thousands of natural underground fires cover 720 sq km, consume 220 million tonnes coal each year & produce 1% of all CO2 from fossil fuels in the world or the same as all the cars and lorries in the US. In the past 50 years Xinjiangs coalfield firefighting service has extinguished 34 long term coal fires including one that has been alight since 1874 (Qing Dynasty) and hope to extinguish another 28 by 2015.
One 50 yr fire was reported to have been extinguished after 3 years in Terak coalfield, Xinjiang. (T 22 11 07 p51). Holes are drilled to the coal seam, 100 metres down, water and slurry was pumped down to lower the temperature and the surface covered to starve the fire of oxygen.
Low grade coal can combust spontaneously at 30 - 40 deg C where the coal can react with Oxygen in the air. The surface can cave in above swallowing roads, houses etc.
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