DAVID Rutledge of the California Institute of Technology says that the world's coal reserves may be vastly overestimated and we could be facing an unprecedented global energy crisis.
Environmentalists are thrilled over the prospect, as it is a quick fix to eliminating coal emissions.
Rutledge suggests that worldwide coal production could plateau as early as 2025.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's maximum estimate for extractable coal is about 3000 billion tonnes. Rutledge's calculations suggest just 600 billion tonnes.
Rutledge says that the problem with the IPCC estimate is that it lumps coal reserves, which are easy to mine, with coal resources, which may be impossible to mine.
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