Felicia Jenkins
9/17/10
9:15AM
As Europe Kicks coal A Hungarian Town suffers
Coal has been a valuable resource for many years in both the United States and Europe even though it is an emitting fuel. The cultivation and use of coal has provided jobs and energy for many individuals. But in OROSZLANY, Hungary the last coal mine has announced that it will be closing and dismantling the plant at the end of the year. About 1/7th of the population of Oroslany works in industries related to the coal mining. The government owns the plant and a lot of the houses in town use the heat from the coal plant to heat their homes in the winter. The controversy of closing the coal mine is that European Union is trying to reduce its reliance on coal and other unsustainable resources. Coal also has a history of relying on government subsidies for support and sometimes even profit. Leaders are now beginning to take steps that will have a lesser impact on the environment but still provide jobs for the people of their cities.
In Hungry there is a problem with using sustainable resources to replace coal and the economy because so many people are employed with the coal industry. To reduce one’s carbon footprint there has to be a large change in the way a country produces things and conducts business. But to make this change, the mayor will have to close one of the larger employers in Oroszlany. There is the issue of people being able to provide a living for themselves or being more green. It is hard to say which is more important. Our lives will not be the same if continue to use resources and high emitting gases into our planet. But at the same time with less jobs people are less able to find jobs to provide for themselves and their families. So where does one draw the line? Yes more jobs will potentially be available as we come up with better technology and use energy more efficiently. But what happens until we are able to reach that point?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/science/earth/16hungary.html?ref=earth
1 comment:
Saving the Planet Earth means saving millions of people. But leaving thousands of people jobless means creating chaos and dragging down the economic development of a country. It is apparently hard to balance the conflicts of these two values.
But there is still hope if we consider the issue closely and with international cooperation. The job loss is a short-term effect steming from the transition to a green and sustainable economy. The local government should provide financial supports to those affected and help them adjust to the new economy. International aid (money and technology) may also reduce the burden of the local government. But saving the environment and developing a sustainable economy is a long-term policy that any government must take sooner or later, and the earlier the better.
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