Coal-Fired Power Stations Are Death Factories: A Letter from James Hansen

Coal-fired power stations are death factories. Close them

A year ago, I wrote to Gordon Brown asking him to place a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Britain. I have asked the same of Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd and other leaders. The reason is this - coal is the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet.

The climate is nearing tipping points. Changes are beginning to appear and there is a potential for explosive changes, effects that would be irreversible...

Those who lead us have no excuse - they are elected to guide, to protect the public and its best interests. They have at their disposal the best scientific organisations in the world...

Coal is not only the largest fossil fuel reservoir of carbon dioxide, it is the dirtiest fuel. Coal is polluting the world's oceans and streams with mercury, arsenic and other dangerous chemicals. The dirtiest trick that governments play on their citizens is the pretence that they are working on "clean coal" or that they will build power plants that are "capture-ready" in case technology is ever developed to capture all pollutants.

...The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death...

...These governments are not green. They are black - coal black...

February 15, 2009

for complete article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/15/james-hansen-power-plants-coal