ming pointed out in a 2002 study (pdf) (before the devastation of mountaintop removal had reached its current levels):
"Coal is by far the most under-priced energy resource: the price per ton of coal was about $30, but the external costs are nearly $160. Also including climate change risks, the external costs would be about $190 per ton."
And prices are further lowered by vast subsidies (pdf). And think of the opportunity costs forgone to develop cleaner energy. Interestingly, another full-fledged insider, Dick Kelly, who is retiring as chief executive officer of Exel Energy, told journalist Don Selby:
"We've got to get off fossil fuels … The quicker the better. All [that some members of Congress] are worried about is the next two or six years when they run for re-election. They just keep kicking the can down the road … I don't know how they can deny the science. I really don't … I think one of the misconceptions is that many people believe that wind is just outrageously expensive. Truth is, wind power competes very well with natural gas. The technology is getting better. We are getting a lot more kilowatts out of our windmills now. Even solar has come down 50% in the last two years … I'd be OK if there were never any more coal."
How long will our politicans favour the coal industry with subsidies and lax safety and health regulations? Consider the cost of this choice – in lives, health and damage to the air we breath, the water we drink and the land that provides us with nourishment and recreation. Wouldn't it be better for them to enact polices that support efficiency, conservation and alternative energy sources with a lower environmental impact, such as wind, solar and geothermal?
That way, we might actually get steady jobs and a healthy environment.
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2011