© 2009 Coastal Conservation League |
Coal is the dirtiest way to make the electricity that cools our homes, light our rooms, and powers our businesses. Each year a typical coal plant releases thousands of tons of pollution – far more than any other single source – into our air and water. Whether it is soot, smog, or toxic substances like lead and mercury, the substantial pollutionlinked to coal plants hurts our health. The chance of asthma, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, brain damage and death are all increased by pollution from coal plants. Coal also dirties our environment. Mines in Appalachia destroy mountain tops, wiping out entire forests, glades and streams, to get at seams of coal buried below. They leave behind in their place man-made mountains of waste ash and sludge that destroy adjacent habitats and contaminate water. Burning coal releases more carbon dioxide than any other fuel, a primary cause of global warming. If unchecked, carbon dioxide pollution from coal plants could permanently alter our climate, leading to higher sea levels, stronger hurricanes, and more frequent drought. Coal doesn’t have to be part of our energy future. Instead of building new coal plants, we can take advantage of a variety of clean energy alternatives that meet our needs without risking our health and our environment. Here in South Carolina, our state utility, Santee Cooper, wants to build a new coal plant on the banks of the Great Pee Dee River. We’ve created this website as a resource for the truth about coal and what our energy future might look like without it. |
