Coal and Corruption“Juan Pablo Perez Alfonso, one of the founders of OPEC, once compared the world’s fossil-fuel use to ‘drowning in the devil’s excrement.’ There is certainly plenty of evidence supporting his prediction that the fossil-fuel industry, with its powerful corrupting influence, will ‘bring us ruin.’ Indeed, coal-related corruption stories are breaking worldwide, shining a light on the murky space between ‘illegal’ and ‘improper’ where the extractive industries work,” writes Marina Lou from Greenpeace in Project Syndicate. Suggested Tweet: Read about the corrupting influence of #coal Marina Lou from @greenpeace http://bit.ly/1t1HQxw #corruption Take it from us in India: the world doesn’t need more Australian exported coal“All the pieces are in place now for developing countries to choose a clean energy path that is cheaper, faster and healthier than coal. It would be nice if the Australian government focused on this, rather than exporting dirty, outdated coal,” writes Debi Goenka, the executive trustee and founder of Indian NGO the Conservation Action Trust, in the Guardian. Suggested Tweet: Take it from us in #India: the world needs #renewables, not more Australian exported #coal Debi Goenka http://gu.com/p/42jn2/tw via @guardian The high cost of the Indonesian coal boom“[Coal] output has tripled within a decade and Indonesia is now the world’s top exporter of thermal coal used in power stations, earning the government billions of dollars in royalties … But with this success has come a multitude of ills, including large-scale deforestation, water pollution, conflict with local and indigenous communities and health costs from coal dust. Add to this corruption, tax evasion, illegal mining and illegal exports, which are costing the government millions of dollars in revenue. The industry is becoming a threat to itself, the economy and the national and global environment,” writes David Fogarty, in a two-part profile on the Indonesian coal industry. Suggested Tweet: What does #coal mining mean for #Indonesia, people and #climate? 2 features http://bit.ly/1svPa2J & http://bit.ly/127plNZ @FogartyClimate |