Santa isn't really a clean coal advocate, is he?
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When those of us who preside in industrialized nations hit a light switch, we take for granted that we'll immediately be bathed in the glow of flickering bulb. But how many of us are perpetually in the dark when it comes to the high cost of our modern conveniences? A brand new Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) report aims to, uh, shed some light upon our myriad blind spots.
PSR found that coal combustion in particular contributes to diseases affecting large portions of the U.S. population, "including asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, compounding the major public health challenges of our time." That doesn't sound good. Here's the scoop:
"Coal pollutants affect all major body organ systems and contribute to four
of the five leading causes of mortality in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. This conclusion emerges from our reassessment of the widely recognized health threats from coal. Each step of the coal lifecycle—mining, transportation, washing, combustion, and disposing of post-combustion wastes—impacts human health."
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"Not since NASA's James Hansen rang the global warming alarm about coal's major contribution to climate change has there been a more dire call to shut down coal operations in the United States," writes Joshua Frank at Counterpunch. "It is not simply about cleaning up the coal process; it is about halting its production altogether in order to immediately save lives. Whenever coal is burned it releases numerous toxins and these pollutants have to go somewhere. If not into the air they will be have to be captured and buried underground, most likely in communities that do not have the resources to fight the coal waste depositories."
A good first step is to avoid falling for the clean coal campaign favored by the current U.S. president. Clean coal, says Frank, is "nothing more than an advertising motto conjured up by high paid PR firms."
Given the red flags that have been raised about burning coal, and the persistent efforts to market it as a potentially "clean" fuel, there have never been more reasons to avoid coal and the pollution it creates. From burning it, to mining it, to getting it in your stocking, here are...
7 Reasons Why No One Should Ever Get Coal in Their Stocking
