Friday, March 30

Are we to remain in a dirty industrial revolution?

Historically, coal fuelled power generation has made a valuable contribution to Australia’s development and wealth creation. This however should not lead us to now ignore the evidence of coal industries’ major contribution to anthropogenic climate change and local air pollution.

Yet this week the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) approved the Works Approval for Dual Gas Pty Ltd’s new 600 MW coal fuelled power plant in the Latrobe Valley. How can a power plant expected to have a greenhouse gas emission intensity similar to that of a black coal power plant be considered “part of the solution” in 2012?

Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), a nation wide health advocacy group, took their concerns to VCAT last year after the EPA approved a 300MW plant – an un-precedent legal step for a health organization. This is because DEA are strongly of the view that coal is a health hazard and that there are alternatives that can now cover all needs in the delivery of reliable power.


Renew Economy


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