11/12/10
12:35PM
Cheap coal for power 'subsidises polluters'
In Australia the government has recently decided to subsidize coal to power generators. The government also has plans to open a new coal mine close to Mudgee to sell to government run power generators. It is also a possibility that the government will run the new coal mine. The coal will sell for about $33 per ton, as opposed to the market value which is around $44 a ton. Many wonder what the government’s true plan for the coal subsidies are. Some agree that the subsidies for goal are just a mask for subsidizing the generators.
These new plans are going against the government idea of being more sustainable and friendly to our planet. Economically speaking when coal is priced lower than market value people and companies will consume more coal leading to increased sales. This in turn leads to high rates of environmental pollution because coal mines are not clean by anyone’s standards. Coal mines are hazardous to both the people around the mine, and the environment itself. Toxic chemicals are produced, coal particulates are pumped into the air- which are in turn inhaled by the people causing short life spans, cancers and breathing problems. Coal is a fossil fuel that is unsustainable in our rapidly changing world. It is a very limited resource with high consequence for using it. Once again the Polluters get a pass to do whatever they want and the people and the environment are left paying the price for their actions. This event makes me question whether or not the Australian government cares about the environmental cleanup they talk so much about.
1 comment:
This article raises questions for me because the government is all about controlling pollution and making the world more sustainable. Selling cheap coal goes against this and doesn't fix the problem but adds to it.
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