We are clearly at the time where it simply does not make sense to proceed forward with fossil fuel reliance. The only real issue is how best to switch over our energy sources while maximizing overall economic growth by virtue of the industry and services attendant to new energy source development and implementation.
But those addicted to coal -- namely, the far right wing who see doing anything sensible wit respect to the environment or otherwise trying to lessen our destructive tendencies, as "meddling" and of course the coal industry itself, can't yet seem to see this glaringly lopsided, non partisan, non ideologically based reality.
And so they fight it, tooth and nail.
The latest comes from the "Friends of Coal," whose mission is to “inform and educate West Virginia citizens about the coal industry." In the sometimes ideologically driven, and occassionally exaggerated or dismissive, but otherwise extraordinarily well researched and highly informative blog Climate Progress.org, physicist Joe Romm writes about how Friends of Coal is selling coal to children.
Kind of trying to inspire them to make a pact with the devil early on, so to speak, while they are young and impressionable?
And why not. "Coal is cheap,"as it tells them, and coal "puts people to work," as it tells them (as does cleaning up disasters, but that point is unmentioned). And it tells them in user friendly fun filled coloring books, too!
Why not indoctrinate kids on the beauty of coal. After all, it's not like we are greatly increasing the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, which trap heat, or that heat drives climate, or that this is largely a result of fossil fuel use, or that mining coal often destroys entire mountain tops, poisons watersheds and often entire mini ecosystems, or that the burning of coal itself gives off a wonderful laundy list of other airborne pollutants (including being predominantly responsible for mercury toxicity in consumers of large game fish like tuna, shark, halibut and swordfish).
It's not like any of that stuff is true, so why not let Friends of Coal indoctrinate our kids on how great coal is!
Maybe next year friends of lead can sponsor children related school functions, scholarships, events (all of which Friends of Coal has done) and distribute coloring books showing kids how wonderful lead is. "Lead is cheap. Lead is heavy. This makes great fishing sinkers. Lead is our friend!" Maybe the year after that, we can start with Arsenic.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we "need coal." Like we need a rotten tooth in order to eat, as opposed to building a replacement tooth or otherwise fixing it.
We need energy. Energy is all around us. By continuing to foolishly rely upon coal, we only undermine the necessary market motivations needed to move us productively into the development and implementation of job generating -- but not profoundly polluting, environmentaly destructive, or flat out dumb -- cleaner energy sources.
