Burning Coal Is Choking Our Planet and Its People, But Strangely, That’s OK

Here’s something that will put a smile on a few faces, i.e., those investors whose meager integrity and broken moral compass enables them to support coal as an energy source.  According to Energy Matters: Nearly all publicly traded US coal companies reported positive earnings per share in the first quarter of 2017, and the market value of publicly traded US coal companies has doubled (to $15 billion).

Salaries are growing, too: average executive pay has increased to $200,000, up 60 percent, and miners are receiving $1,000 signing bonuses and fully paid health insurance. And yet, the sector faces vulnerabilities – see your AES account for a special survey of the state of coal.

Yes, the state of the dirtiest form of energy known to humankind is actually fairly strong.  Our society doesn’t seem to have an issue with all the CO2, methane, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, cadmium, selenium, arsenic, mercury and dozens of different types of radioactive isotopes being dumped into our atmosphere.  Cancer, lung disease, climate change, ocean acidification and so many other direct consequences of burning coal seem to be completely acceptable.

It’s good to know that coal execs get prepaid healthcare.  They’re going to need it.

Seems like a good time to quote musician and activist Ruben Blades: “I think we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance.”