AB: Phasing out coal will save millions in health costs, do

[Oscar]

Phasing out coal will save millions in health costs, doctors say

. . . of course, it will be generations before Saskatchewan makes such a decision!


See also:

THE FOLLY OF SASK PARTY’S CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE (CCS)
[ viewtopic.php?f=49&t=3334 ]
By Jim Harding Published in R-Town News November 20, 2915


The stupidity of Saskatchewan's "clean coal" project
[ http://johnwwarnock.blogspot.ca/2013/06 ... clean.html ]
by John Warnock June 21, 2013


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Phasing out coal will save millions in health costs, doctors say

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.3331387 ]

CBC News Posted: Nov 23, 2015 2:07 PM MT| Last Updated: Nov 23, 2015 4:28 PM MT

Surrounded by doctors and representatives from health agencies, Alberta's ministers of environment and health touted their government's plan to phase out all coal-fired power plants within 15 years.

The 18 coal-fired generators in Alberta account for one-third of all sulfur dioxide emissions in the province, said Dr. Joe Vipond of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

"As soon as plants close down, we have commensurate decrease in some of those pollutants."

Cutting back on those emissions will reduce asthma attacks and cardiac illness and save millions of visits to emergency departments, the province says.

The Alberta Medical Association adopted a position in September to lobby the province to end the use of coal as soon as possible.

But the companies that burn coal to produce more than half the province's power say the plan will hurt the province.

Alberta already has a very good environmental image, said Robin Campbell, president of the Coal Association of Canada.

MORE:

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... -1.3331387 ]


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■Coal power plant shutdown could hit Alberta taxpayers


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Alberta is going Coal Free!

[ http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=370 ... 91cc453333 ]

December 8, 2015 Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

I have exciting news to share. On November 22nd, the Alberta Government announced that it will phase out 18 coal-fired generators by 2030! This is a huge victory for human health and the planet!

This decision will save lives, prevent chronic diseases, reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits, and cut health care costs in Alberta! Estimates indicate that the air pollution from those coal-fired generators was giving rise to approximately 100 premature deaths, 80 hospital admissions, 700 emergency room visits and 4,800 asthma symptom days every year in Alberta. These health impacts were valued at $300 million per year or $3 billion over a 10 year period.

This decision will also help to save lives around the planet! Those 18 coal-fired generators are currently responsible for 17% of the greenhouse gases emitted in Alberta and for 6% of all of the greenhouse gases emitted in Canada. That means that they are a huge contributor of the emissions that contribute to climate change.

The prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, has declared climate change to be the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that climate change will give rise to about 250,000 additional deaths each year starting in 2030. People will die from extreme heat, insect-borne diseases, diarrhea and mal-nutrition that results from droughts. The young and the elderly will be hardest hit as will those who live in low income countries.

We are proud to have been one of the leading advocates on this issue. For three years, with your support, CAPE staff and volunteers have run a campaign to phase-out coal plants in Alberta. We have produced op-eds, letters to the editor, press releases, blogs and backgrounders. In collaboration with our partners, we have produced reports, run ads in newspapers, organized workshops, and convened meetings with decision-makers in the province. We could not have done this without you.

With this decision, the Alberta Government has shown the world that it is willing to do its share to combat climate change. With this decision, many of us feel hopeful that we truly can bring the world back from the brink of a global disaster. There is much more to be done, but with your continued support, we feel confident that we can change the future for climate change.

Thank-you!!

Kim Perrotta
Executive Director

Our mailing address is:
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
301-130 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON M5V 2L4 Canada