Climate Reality Project PHL urges action vs coal given Semirara mine collapse

GMA Network News
July 21, 2015 12:40am

Pointing to the two Semirara Island coal mine disasters in two years, in which a total of nine miners were killed, non-profit organization Climate Reality Project Philippines urged the government to minimize or even totally eradicate the use of coal mines and coal-fired power plants as source of energy.

“This is the cost of carbon. While the climate has been out of pattern and inconsistently changing due to the throwing away of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, down below we are killing the Earth and its people. This is double murder,” according to the Climate Reality Project Philippines.

The organization also called for the strict implementation of the Department of Energy's policy on the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREP), which sets out interim targets for the delivery of renewable energy within the time-frame of 2011 to 2030.

Climate Reality warned that with the continued practice of coal usage, the loss of lives and livelihood becomes the burden and responsibility, not only of the government, but of the people as well.

And with the Philippines set to submit an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to reduce carbon emission on August as part of a climate agreement session that will be held in Paris, the environmental group believes that the country would be embarrassed by its continued dependence on coal mines and coal-fired power plants.

Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao had already called for the shutdown of the Semirara coal mine.

“I am recommending and appealing to the DMCI [owner of the coal mine] na sarhan na lang yang Panian Pit. Kasi, may neglect man iyan on the part of them o wala, it has shown in the two incidents that this place is very dangerous to work [in]," Cadio explained.

However, despite the deaths, residents and even the local government of Caluya in Antique were against the coal mine's shutdown, claiming that the whole community was built on, and had benefited from the mine. — Bianca Rose Dabu/DVM, GMA News source