How bad is coal really- will we pay too high a cost?
Author : teriannThere has been a lot of controversy in the media recently about the sale of Alpart to Chinese firm Jiuguan Iron and Steel. According to the article published August 4, 2016 on The Gleaner Online, the company has ’a 1,000-megawatt coal-fired electricity plant reportedly included in the firm’s plans to support its new operations’.
The furor has circulated about the impact these plans may have on Jamaicans especially those living in surrounding areas of the new plant.
It got me thinking about coal and its risks.
According to the World Coal Association, ”Producing electricity from coal can result in the release of trace elements, such as mercury, selenium and arsenic and varying degrees of oxides of sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx), which can be harmful to human health and the environment”.
What does this mean?
Well one the one hand, a new factory means new jobs. We can’t argue with that too many unskilled and skilled labourers are shut out of the industry and a select few keep getting richer. So that’s the good news!
But here’s the bad news. Everyone is concerned about the health risks. We have to be concerned about our image as well. Tourism is a big wage earner but how attractive will it be if tourists have to battle health concerns? Granted they might not notice if they stay only a few days, but it will surely affect our arrivals over time.
Remember all those jobs that are created? Well we might create some more as we might need more doctors!
According to the same Gleaner online article quoted from earlier, “That plant would more than double our present carbon emissions. Our intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) would make very little sense,” said atmospheric physicist Professor Anthony Chen, one of Jamaica’s foremost climate scientists.
That’s a sobering thought.
The cost of treating asthma can be very high, while some programmes allow for a reduced cost for the purchase of some asthma medication, at times it can lead to very expensive hospital visits.
So what’s your take? Is it worth the cost?
Let me hear from you!
Teri Ann Renee Paisley
Gleaner online writer
Tags: coal
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6 Responses to “How bad is coal really- will we pay too high a cost?”
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Our leaders speak of sustainable development but to go against NEPA’s advise and allow the introduction of a coal fired plant in Jamaica would be totally counter to a development plan that is sustainable.
Gleaner online article 16/8/2016 highlighted the fact that such a plant will need cooling down which will only be viable from the black River which is one of our major tourist attractions. The Black River is also home to some of Jamaica’s endangered species. These creatures will die as a result of the heating up of the river.
What is the use of NPA if the government continuously ignore their expert advise on these
environmental issues. find another source of energy to fuel this plant and leave our beautiful country alone.
We will only move this country forward if we learn how to think and process information in a consistent manner. What do I mean? Well Jamaica is now exporting coal to the United States..bamboo coal. So no one thought to ask how come we were doing that while simultaneously believing in the doctrine of global warming. This kind of hypocrisy is fundamentally dishonest and immoral. We smoke tobacco which is a proven cancer causative agent. We pass a law making it legal to grow marijuana for personal use and now we want to complain about a coal plant? Stp[ the madness.
The Smelter operation i.e. conversion of alumina to aluminum requires a cheap source of energy to be viable.
The normal way is be using Hydro Electricity.
Unfortunately, the rivers in Jamaica are not large enough to support this type of operation.
We, therefore, need to think of alternatives to coal which are less harmful to the environment.
Eg. – Natural gas powering gas tubines with
heat recovery.
– A mini nuclear plant which might be able
power the entire Jamaica.
Hello Dameian,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the issue. It certainly needs to be examined so we don’t have any regrets!
Keep reading and posting your comments!
Hey Richard,
Thanks for sharing your ideas on the issue. Your raised some interesting points about alternatives to coal. It is hoped that others will consider them as well. Keep reading and posting!
Hey John,
Great to hear from you. Thanks for sharing a different perspective to the issue. You raised some interesting questions. Keep reading and sharing!