From Lauren McGrath of SOCM:
On the opening day of UN CSD-15, members of the Appalachian Coalfield Delegation attended the US Briefing on Sustainable Energy Policy. During the briefing, one of the US representatives to the United Nations commented that the “United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal”.
One of the Appalachian Coalfield Delegates commented, “It must be true that the US Government sees Appalachia as the Saudi Arabia of coal”, according to Bo Webb of the Appalachian Coalfield Delegation and resident of Coal River, WV. “Its interesting, because some citizens believe the United States is bombing the middle east for oil. Well, one of the differences in bombing Appalachia, is that we know the US is bombing Appalachia for coal – its permitted each day by our federal government”.
According to the Appalachian Coalfield Delegation’s Report on Coal & Energy , “one million metric tons of explosives are used each year in Central Appalachia -by the coal industry- to blow up the mountains for coal extraction. This equals the explosive force of 58 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs”. The report also over-lays a photograph, in red, of the Hobot Coal Mine, located in Central Appalachia, over the city of Manhattan, where the UN is based, to give delegates from around the world an idea of how large one mine can be. (see photo)
In the coming days, the rest of the 20-member coalfield delegation -composed of incredible leaders from all over Central Appalachian – will ascend upon Manhattan for the United Nation Commission on Sustainable Development meetings on sustainable energy. The delegates believe extraction is not being discussed as part of national or global energy strategies, and are worried that so called “clean coal” will increase mountaintop removal coal extraction –devastating their lives and homes.
As such, the delegates are calling upon the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, through the commission’s CSD-15 policy recommendations, to promote an aggressive transition to energy conservation, energy efficiency, and just, renewable energy production and to implement policies to prevent further human rights violations.
On Tuesday, May 8th at 2pm the delegation will host a press event open to the public . The press conference will serve as a vehicle not only to deliver the delegation’s policy report on coal & energy, but also to expose the true cost of coal via a living art display. Stay turned for more info, or email changesistemikly@gmail.com for more info.
Heya, reporting live from the CSD : ) Bob and the rest of the ACD are doing an AWESOME job here at the CSD– you can read about my thoughts on that, and lots of other CSD goings-on, and http://www.sustainus.org/blog
Great post. However, I was a bit confused by all the acronyms.
And don’t forget the destructive impacts of the full cycle of coal.
Mountaintop removal, while an atrocious poster-child of the anti-coal movement, sometimes overshadows the work the rest of the country is doing. I was actually really disappointed by the decision to limit the scope of this delegation to mountaintop removal, though I guess it was viewed as a strategic choice.
It’s just that, to me, the problem here is the life cycle of coal, not just mountaintop removal.
Matt, good comment, and yes– we as a movement (community organizers, local leaders, advocates, campaigners, lawyers, students etc) need to be more cognizant of how to message in a way that doesn’t leave behind any aspect of energy injustice….
on that note, I think there’s a lot of work before all of us….
here’s a statement that many organizations in the coalfields support (its not entirely inclusive or close to perfect but encompasses the broader picture while ending with issue specificity):
The cradle-to-grave effects of the current approaches to mining, transporting, processing, and burning coal, and the disposal of coal ash are incompatible with a sustainable energy future.
Those effects include deforestation, burial of streams and wetlands under mining waste, acid mine drainage, community destruction, land and stream subsidence, loss of aquifers, climate change, mercury contamination of the Nation’s waters, and other forms of toxic pollution of water and air.
Any global warming and energy policy that does not fully take into account these devastating environmental and community impacts is incomplete and unjust.
To reduce our dependence on coal and to move the United States away from our dependence on extreme mining methods like mountaintop removal, we support the implementation of a structured transition towards renewable energy sources and public investment in job-creating renewable energy technologies and energy conservation measures. Catastrophic climate change is not inevitable and destruction of the Appalachian Mountains is not necessary. We have a choice. There are better options for our economic and environmental future, and we should choose those options.