Share this Post:

Print this page

Email this page

Love Letters to the Coal Industry

Facebook

Twitter

RSS

YouTube

SIGN-UP for our latest news and action alerts:

Regular Blog Features:

Scope of Science:

Understanding environmental issues with science

Blog Categories:

Facebook Fans

Related Blog Entries

by Trip Van Noppen:

Citizen Army Lobbies Congress for Clean Air

A few days ago, a fierce army invaded Washington, D.C. to ask our representatives for something very simple: restore our right to breathe clean air. ...

by Daniel Hubbell:

Goldman Prize Winners: Making a Difference

It is easy sometimes to feel like the problems of the world are just too large for any one person to tackle. Whether it is a global issue like climate...

by Liz Judge:

Victory: Court Upholds EPA Authority to Protect Appalachia

Yesterday, citizens in Appalachia celebrated a huge victory in their fight to protect their families and communities from harmful mountaintop remova...

Earthjustice on Twitter

Follow @Earthjustice

01 May 2009, 4:35 PM

Sam Edmondson

Love Letters to the Coal Industry

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a must-read LA Times articlethat explores the dramatic effects of climate disruption on Australia. In response to these worsening conditions, seven Australian climate scientists sent a letter to the owners of every coal-fired power plant in Australia. The letter carries a blunt message: no new coal-fired power plants, unless they are zero-emissions…and operated by unicorns (ok, I added the unicorn part).

But an outright ban on new coal-fired power plants isn't enough, as the authors of the letter indicate:

Genuine action on climate change will mean that coal-fired power stations cease to operate in the near future. [Read the whole letter]

As noted in both the letter and the aforementioned LA Times article, coal-fired power plants supply more than 80% of Australia’s electricity (compared to around 50% in the United States). Replacing coal-fired power in Australia and here at home with clean and safe energy sources will require a massive, coordinated (and very necessary) effort. But abandoning the dirty fuels of the past will help us ensure that our future is filled with opportunities.