A new report released by Greenpeace has indicated that Australia’s coal-fired pollution from power plants could be causing hundreds of early deaths every year, as well as onsetting asthma symptoms in children.
Titled Lethal Power, the report was compiled by a number of scientists and researchers, as well as medical professionals and coal pollution specialist Aidan Farrow. In the findings, the numbers highlight that the remaining 22 black and brown power stations utilising coal fire could be the leading cause of around 800 premature fatalities and 14,000 cases of asthma symptoms within children. It could also be responsible for food 850 instances of newborns with exceptionally low birth weights on an annual basis.
The report also calls for the government to reassess the country’s benchmarks cross pollution and emissions, in order to help protect communities and increase the speed in eliminating harmful coal plants from the overall electricity market.
More regulation needed around Aussie coal-fired power plants
Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Jonathan Moylan said many Aussies would be shocked to learn just how much of a negative impact coal power stations are having on health-related matters, and that they are even less regulated than similar ones in China and Europe.
Similarly, the National Pollutant Inventory data also showed that a specific plant in New South Wales – known as the Vales Point black coal-fired station – had a massive spike in the release of several pollutants in the financial year of 2018 to 2019 alone.
Of these increases, there were notable figures around the release of PM2.5 particulates, which is a prominent cause of respiratory and heart-related conditions.
To go alongside the report, Hewson said in a statement that the data speaks for itself around the harmful effects of Australia’s coal-fired plants.
“The evidence is in; air pollution from burning coal kills,” Hewson said. “Governments of all stripes must now come up with a plan to ensure coal is completely phased out and replaced with renewable energy as quickly as possible, with regional plans to prepare communities for the economic adjustment. This transition should be an urgent policy focus.”
Greenpeace has hopes that its report will persuade the Morrison Government to take action, especially with the use of medical science involved in the compilation of the information itself.
References
https://www.greenpeace.org.au/research/lethal-power-how-coal-is-killing-people-in-australia/
https://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-generation-kills-800-a-year-in-australia-says-new-report-27036/
https://reneweconomy.com.au/enviro-groups-slam-vales-point-power-station-for-spike-in-pollution-20487/
