Coal is the enemy of the human race: Goodell/Yoda edition

A blast across coal's bow in the Washington Post

Posted by David Roberts at 3:16 PM on 25 Aug 2007

Read more about: energy | coal

When it comes to battling the Coal Empire, I am merely a Padawan. Jeff Goodell is the Jedi master. In Sunday's Washington Post, he unleashes a full frontal attack.

For story: Coal is the enemy of the human race: Goodell/Yoda edition
5 Comments | Post a Comment

Good article but...

...he buried the lede!

Finally paragraph 15 begins with, "But the big issue is global warming." We're gonna need a massive groudswell of public opinion to slow down, much less stop, the coal-carbon-warming train, and the public is barely aware that coal is still being mined.

Maybe this is the only way to get the medicine to go down - wrap it in a human interest story. We got a long way to go.

by precipice at 4:07 PM on 25 Aug 2007

Coal mines in China more deadly than coal!

180 miners recently died in China working in some unsafe coal mines run by some Chinese Communist Party members. The communist owners of the mine knew there was a flood and yet they forced Chinese miners to go into the dangerous mine. All of the miners were eventually drown to death.

This is what happens when production is shifted from developed countries to EVIL dictatorial countries.

freehk.org | chinasick.blogspot.com | noolympics.blogspot.com

by noolympics at 3:07 AM on 26 Aug 2007

The Real Story is Pollution in China.

In the West, we fundamentally misunderstand the role of pollution and the environment in China. We also don't recognize the global injustice being conducted in the name of our prosperity in China. China has become the environmental sacrifice zone for the global economy. Toxic air and water are killing an estimated 710,000 to 760,000 Chinese each year.

In China, Global Environmental Injustice Kills Millions.
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/08/26/in-china-global ...

Check out dispatches from the youth climate movement: http://www.itsgettinghotinhere.org/

by Its GEtting Hot in Here at 8:35 AM on 26 Aug 2007

Industrial Revolution

England went through the Industrial Revolution that was powered by coal and resulted in the famous "London Fog" that killed many. In the US, the "Donora Incident" killed a few as well; Pittsburgh was to dark at mid-day that street lamps had to be lighted. The role of coal was crucial in not only creating the Industrial Revolution but also in creating new wealthy and middle classes. Soon the middle class demanded cleaner air, which happened successively from the 1950's to the 1970 Clean Air Act and the 1990 Amendments.

China is now in the early stages of an Industrial Revolution. Just like England and America used to make products for distribution all over the world, now China is fulfilling that role - and with massive amounts of coal. Please spare me the geo-politics about global trade, as this is a predictable historical event. /sam

Onward through the fog

by Sam Wells at 12:19 PM on 26 Aug 2007

Corrupt State polluting the World

China polluting the world?

No, it is the evil Chinese Communist Party that is controlling 90% of the factories and power plants in China!

The EVIL dictatorship is certainly replacing the U.K. and the U.S. in terms of producing cheap products. Unlike the U.K. and the U.S.however, this EVIL regime's labor protection laws and air pollution control are as bad as those of the U.S. and the U.K. a century ago!

The production level is higher than those of the advanced nations 40 years ago by more than 600%, whereas the backward regulatory system in China allows the EVIL communists to freely pollute so that the production of each unit of output results in 300% more pollutant than that of other industrialized countries.

Simple calculation suggests that the world is 18 times worse than 40 years ago in terms of environmental pollution each year! Our environment is decaying at an exponential rate as pollutants accumulate over time!

freehk.org | chinasick.blogspot.com | noolympics.blogspot.com

by noolympics at 9:19 AM on 27 Aug 2007

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