Dear editor,

No coal means no metals – none, almost zero (current technology requires coal, coke or charcoal to make iron, and there’s nothing else on the horizon). Almost, because copper and tin can be made in a hot wood fire and gold is found as a pure metal.

No metals means:

• no petroleum or natural gas (well those are solved, they will be left in the ground without metals)

• farming - not unless you figure out how to plow with a stick, flint and cows (oxen) or horses

• cars/buses/trains/planes – need metal to be manufactured

• batteries – need lithium, lead, copper, etc.

• solar panels – need the same thing, manufacture of solar panels requires metals – some of them exotic – and glass, which can’t be manufactured without metals)

• wind farms – need towers, blades, generators, batteries all require metals and petroleum products)

• houses - only if you figure out how to make 2x4s without metals (for that matter how to cut down a tree and get it to a sawmill without metals or trucks)

• plumbing/water - same old problem, no metals or plastics

• electricity - ditto

• lots of pharmaceuticals will be unavailable (one example is Novocain – that will make your next visit to the dentist interesting).

• cellphones, tablets, computers, all electronic equipment – will be gone without metal or plastics

• newspapers/magazines – Without paper, ink or printing presses?

• beverage cans – only in ceramic vessels

In fact, what you can do without metals? Actually not very much!

Maybe we need to rethink this, how to get these things in a way that protects the environment.

Doug Hewgill,

Courtenay