Coal, no call

INCREDIBLE. We have upcoming Negrense policy makers who are not doing their science homework. Recently, First District Congressman-elect Gerardo Valmayor supports the establishment of coal-fired power plant in San Carlos City. What’s that? Coal-fired power plant? If only because I have social media friends who obviously have access to the internet who can Google the environmental impact of the coal industry. They include issue such as land use, waste management, water and air pollution, caused by the coal mining, processing and the use of its products. In addition to atmospheric pollution, coal burning produces hundreds of millions of tons of solid waste products annually, including fly ash, bottom ash, and flue-gas desulfurization sludge that contain mercury, uranium, thorium, arsenic, and other heavy metals. Here is a shout-out: COAL IS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO THE HUMAN-MADE INCREASE OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE. There are severe health effects caused by burning coal. According to a report by the World Health Organization in 2008, coal particulates pollution are estimated to shorten approximately 1,000,000 lives annually worldwide. And yet Valmayor is supporting the call of

San Miguel Power Corp. to put up a 300-megawatt coal plant in Barangay Punao, San Carlos City. The company, he said, is now negotiating with former First District representative Jules Ledesma for his land where the coal plant will be located. When compared to electricity produced from natural gas via hydraulic fracturing, coal electricity is 10-100 times more toxic, largely due to the amount of particulate matter emitted during combustion. When coal is compared to solar photovoltaic generation, the latter could save 51,999 American lives per year if solar were to replace coal generation in the US. So why are San Carlos putting the health of Negrenses from the Occidental and Oriental side at risk? Article XIII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution avers that “The State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost.” The interesting thing is that the State obligation to protect the health of its citizens is to do exactly NOTHING. Nada. Zilch. Not upset that proposed coal-fired plant. Even China, known as the world’s biggest polluter, has been taking dramatic steps to clean up and fight climate change. Yet China is building or planning more than 300 coal plants in places as widely spread as Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt and the Philippines. Is China exporting its dirty technology while cleaning up its act domestically? NIMBY (not in my backyard but yes elsewhere). I say no call to coal.*