Letting go of coal

The call for the government to look for renewable sources of energy apart from coal-fired power plants on which we are dependent bears repeating, more so because continuing evasion by officials would be tantamount to a sin of omission if not dereliction of duty.

Last month, the Cebu City Council, in one of its last acts before ending its latest three-year term passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the building of more coal-fired power plants in Cebu.

That resolution was just not only because it found support in a militant organization like Sanlakas whose members assert that they represent the concerns of the poor.

More importantly, the call from this major city’s leaders may just be what the Department of Energy needs to speed up the delivery of its mandate to look for cheaper, renewable, non-polluting and healthful energy sources.

Instead of promoting the construction of five more coal-fired power plants in Cebu, an island populated by 4.16 million individuals, would it not be wise and humane for the agency to show concern for public health?

To recall, several studies have demonstrated the ill effects of coal-fired power plants on people’s respiratory systems, not to mention their consequences on land, air and water.

More than two years ago, the American Lung Association released “Toxic Air: The Case for Cleaning Up Coal-fired Power Plants,” a report which documented the range of hazardous air pollutants these plants emit.

The toxic cocktail includes “toxic metals and metal-like substances such as arsenic and lead; mercury; dioxins; chemicals known or thought to cause cancer, including formaldehyde, benzene and radioisotopes; and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride.”

If the United States, a superpower is already looking for alternatives to coal, surely the Philippine government would not be so unwise as to wait for the worst before cutting off its dependence on this power source.

Do we have no other choice but to depend on coal-fired power plants that can cause heart and lung diseases, such as asthma?

Will the public be condemned to brain, eye, skin and respiratory tract damage, considering that pollutants from coal plants can stick to small particles and travel thousands of miles?

Whatever happened to the proposals a couple of years ago for the country to harness the sun, wind and waves, as well as gas from manure to source out power?

Were the proposals just the Energy Department’s demonstration of greenwashing? We hope not.

The department must respond immediately to the need for power sources that do not weaken the populace.