ENVIRONMENTALISTS joined forces with legislators on Wednesday in seeking a moratorium on the construction and expansion of coal-fired power-plant projects, which they said is one of the contributors to climate change and global warming.
In a news conference at the House of Representatives, the Network Opposed to Coal-Fired Power Plant (NO COAL Power Plant) composed of environmental groups and advocates joined militant legislators in announcing the filing of House Resolution 682 seeking the moratorium.
“Coal is considered one of the ‘dirtiest’ sources of energy and is one of the leading contributors to climate change and global warming. Environment advocates have been pressing the government for years to prepare, in a comprehensive and strategic manner, sources of energy alternative to coal such as geothermal and hydropower, but to no avail. It is time Congress intervenes and comes up with measures to help protect our environment and human lives before it’s too late,” said Party-list Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares of Bayan Muna, one of the authors of the resolution.
Other authors of the resolution are Party-list Reps. Teodoro Casiño also of Bayan Muna, Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis, Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela, Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Raymond Palatino of Kabataan and Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Lani Mercado Revilla of Cavite. People’s Champ Movement Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao of Sarangani also committed to coauthor the resolution upon his arrival from his province.
According to the resolution, there are currently 10 coal power plants in the country consuming 80 percent of the nation’s coal supply. There are four additional coal-fired power plants to be completed by 2012 and there are still proposals for more coal power plants in different provinces and cities.
In pushing for the immediate adoption of the resolution, Colmenares said coal plants cause irreparable damage to the environment and the health of surrounding communities.
“In fact, coal plants registered the highest external cost among different types of power generation, according to a study by the European Commission in 2003. External costs arise when project impacts such as damages to human health are not fully accounted or compensated for by a power plant,” he said.
“Why should we build more of these dangerous coal plants when we have an excess power of 3,847 megawatts [MW]? Department of Energy data also show that in 2009, the country has an installed power capacity of 15,610 MW and dependable power capacity of 13,319 MW, while the peak power demand is just 9,472 MW. The excess power supply is equivalent to 19 power plants having 200-MW capacity each,” he added.
According to the legislators, the country is a signatory to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) whose declared objective is “...the stabilization of greenhouse concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system . . . within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”
“If nothing is done about the carbon emissions, global greenhouse gases are projected to increase by 52 percent by 2050. That would also mean an increase in the global mean temperature. The year 2050 is the set time frame by the UNFCCC, that is why a coal moratorium is urged unless the GHG emission level in the atmosphere has been stabilized at an acceptable level as certified by UNFCCC or energy needs have substantially increased to levels beyond the capacity of other renewable-energy source to address. For the meantime, let us focus our efforts at clean alternative sources of energy,” Colmenares said.
Also, he said the power rates have not really gone down even if power generation from coal is branded as the cheapest source of energy.
No comments:
Post a Comment