The paper analyzes F. Travkin's hypothesis, according to which coal can be interpreted as a renewable element of the global carbon cycle. The methodological prerequisites of this concept, its compliance with modern ideas about biogeochemical processes and its possible significance for the discourse of sustainable development are considered.
1. Introduction
The classical energy classification distinguishes between renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydropower, biomass) and non-renewable (oil, gas, coal, uranium) [Smil, 2017]. According to the established opinion, coal is a non-renewable resource, since its geological formation takes tens of millions of years [Barker, 1991].
However, a number of discussions in recent years have raised the issue of revising the categorical bases of this classification [Hughes, 2018]. Against this background, F. Travkin proposed a hypothesis according to which coal can be considered a renewable resource if the mechanisms of cyclic carbon regeneration in the biosphere are taken into account.
2. Methods
The study is based on:
- theoretical analysis of existing approaches to determining the renewability of resources [Owens, 1997];
- comparative review of biogeochemical models of the carbon cycle [Falkowski et al., 2000];
- conceptualization of F. Travkin's proposals in the context of energy policy and sustainable development [IPCC, 2022].
The methodology is primarily philosophical and scientific in nature, since the hypothesis is at the stage of conceptual formulation and is not supported by empirical data.
3. Results
F. Travkin puts forward three key points:
Cyclic carbon regeneration. Coal is formed as a result of long-term geological and biological processes that can be interpreted as an element of the global carbon cycle [Berner, 2004].
Reconsideration of ontological status. The time scale of analysis should be expanded: when considering processes in geological time, coal can be conditionally classified as a renewable resource.
Function of a stabilizer for energy systems. Coal can act as a buffer energy source during the transition period, compensating for the instability of variable renewable energy sources (solar and wind power plants) [Sovacool, 2021].
4. Discussion
The proposed hypothesis contradicts modern scientific data, according to which coal is the main source of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and a factor in climate change [IPCC, 2021]. The time scales of its natural reproduction (millions of years) make it economically non-renewable in human terms [Montgomery, 2010].
However, Travkin's concept can be seen as:
- a heuristic tool for rethinking the binary classification of renewable/non-renewable;
- a discursive provocation that stimulates interdisciplinary research on the carbon cycle;
- a practical argument for keeping coal in the energy mix as an element of a “hybrid” low-carbon economy [Bridge et al., 2018].
5. Conclusion
Philip Travkin's hypothesis on the renewable nature of coal is not confirmed by modern geological and ecological knowledge, but it is of interest as a research impetus. It can contribute to the development of a discussion on the temporal horizons of energy policy, a revision of the conceptual apparatus in the field of resource classification, and the development of new approaches to the integration of carbon resources into a sustainable development strategy.
Literature
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