Unclean energy

Environment experts have long been warning against energy generation from coal and other fossil fuels, but the authorities in most countries have remained unmoved. This stubbornness on the part of governments is increasing environmental pollution and degradation impacting people’s health and their livelihoods in myriad of ways.

A study, conducted by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), says emissions from the clusters of coal mines and power plants in Thar might expose the region’s population to serious health hazards. The study was launched by a NGO via a video conference the other day. The lead analyst of CREA said Pakistan already had one of the high levels of air pollution and the extraction of coal and its use for producing electricity would worsen the situation resulting in an increase in the incidence of life-threatening diseases and enhance the vulnerability of the region’s inhabitants even to Covid-19.

The study claims that there are errors and deliberate omissions in the data used in the Environmental Impact Assessment reports for two coal power projects and violations of the Sindh Ambient Air Quality Standards and WHO guidelines. It accuses the government of fudging figures on a massive scale. The study expresses fears that over a 30-year operating period the emissions from the coal mines and power plants might further add to air pollution leading to deaths on a considerable scale. The increasing environmental pollution might expose the region’s population to dangerous ailments ranging from lung diseases to birth of deformed babies. Experts warned that coal-based power plants would increase poverty in the region.

Experts have demanded of the government to go in for clean energy like solar and wind energy. Pakistan and most countries of Asia and Africa are blessed in that they receive bright sunshine for most of the year which can be converted into clean energy. Remember this folk song: What do the forests bear?/Soil, water and pure air/Soil, water and pure air/Sustain the soil and all she bears.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2020.

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