The annual growth rate for
coal production varied between 1.2 and 1.9 per cent per annum
throughout the period from the 1560s to 1800, with only limited variation.
Peer - reviewed studies have raised concerns about how much methane is leaking
throughout the
production and transmission of natural gas, casting doubt on whether it really is better for global warming than
coal, which burns 50 percent more carbon than natural gas.