stop coal
The rector has told me to explain to you my stand regarding the plan of the city to put up a coal-fired power plant. I will do it he said because I supposedly did some research weeks ago on the so called clean-coal technology of this power plant. Well I believe I could not say much more than what Msgr. Oso has probably talked about in class. What I know for a fact is, one, there is no such thing as a clean coal. It’s an oxymoron!
Irregardless of what we do it is still the dirtiest among the fossil fuels. We can lessen its emissions, but we could not totally obliterate its hazardous by products.
Second, clean coal technology, if there will be any, is still in the experimental stage (as in Australia, they pump emissions underground such as an empty oil well!). If all goes well, it may be, and it is a big may be, commercially viable in the year 2020 or 2025, that’s more than ten years from now.
And third, at this stage, the price of producing power from the so called clean coal (the "real" one) is exorbitantly high, around 1,530 dollars per kilowatt! Imagine that! This is because the process of lessening some of its pollutants can really be very costly. And I say some because it could probably eliminate a great portion of carbon monoxide, lead and mercury but not carbon dioxide and radionuclide.
And besides, though it is cheaper compared to crude oil and it is found in abundance all over the world especially in the US and in China, the Philippines is blessed only with a minimal amount of coal (and far dirtier than dirty coal). So we still have to import it anyway. (By the way the rise in electricity worldwide is caused by the rise in the prices of coal worldwide.)
Though these points are crucial, my main point rather is in the attitude of its proponents, the government and the businessmen.
What’s my point? My point is the seeming inconsistency in our principles.
First, the city prided itself as one of the first to legislate an anti-smoking ordinance. Two years ago I saw streamers along the city route to that effect. There is even a big billboard on top of Robinson’s place with pictures of young people together with our chain-smoking mayor saying no to smoking. That itself may be inconsistent already. But all of a sudden, with the hype on the anti-smoking ordinance they came up with the idea of building a coal-fired power plant!
Added to this is the much hullabaloo on closing Calahunan, the dumpsite of the city, because it is emitting a very foul smell not excluding insect borne diseases. All these while arguing for the putting up of a coal-fired power plant!
Then there is this so much trouble for a crematorium, first there in Jaro, at Commission Civil Street, then again somewhere in Balabago. They could not stand a crematorium, but they would put up a coal-fired power plant!
Barangay Bakhaw passed a barangay ordinance prohibiting the burning of garbage while the city is pushing for a power plant that would burn tons of coal everyday for the next 40 to 50 years, the life span of a coal-fired power plant!
We have anti-smoke belching laws (which we could not implement anyway), we have laws requiring oil refineries to take away lead from gasoline and sell only unleaded because lead is a hazard to health. But then all of a sudden they want to put up a coal-fired power plant.
But haven’t we signed the Kyoto Protocol in 2003 committing ourselves to lower our carbon emissions? And what about the Asean Declaration signed by the Philippines on its 13th session in 2007 committing ourselves to act in accord with the Kyoto Protocol in stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations to 1994 level? And what have we with our present DENR chief who declared with pride in Bali that the Philippines “is one of the few countries with mandatory vehicle emission testing mandated by law . . . banned open burning and . . . are in the top ten countries that have the most number of clean development mechanism.” (The very same person who said this, so they say, would gladly sign the ECC for our coal-fired power plant.) All these are being said and done while the mayor of the City of Iloilo (which by the way won Grand Slam! Gawad Pangulo Para sa Kapaligiran) and the councilors are toying with the idea, and not just toying, but even already paving the way, for putting up a coal-fired power plant.
Well, frankly, I don’t know what to make of this. Probably, when the desire to further enrich ourselves overpowers us, principles are placed at the back-burner. We say one thing, we do another. (This is one attitude GMA and her government have been so successful in.) Inconsistency becomes the rule. We have a government which cannot even as much as honor its signed commitments. Understandably so, if it could lie to us, why should it not lie to them?! This is the kind of leadership we get probably because of the kind of people we are!
Come, come, let us reason together, please. If doctors, educators, pastors, priests and bishops are one in saying it’s bad (and by the way, these people seldom agree on one thing!), whom would you believe? Your barangay captain? Your Mayor? Your City Councilors? The businessmen? Lord, help us!
And so be it.
Now the church of Jaro is accused of being anti-development even by some business people who happen to be close supporters of the church. And some priests already got a beating from these generous benefactors. Well that’s what you get when you remain consistent with your principles and your definition of what real development is. And to think now that these are the people who would often tell me of the hazards of smoking, and I in my aim to please them would take pains hiding myself whenever I smoke. They want me to quit so they can put up a coal-fired power plant!
This inconsistency is truly upsetting!
P.S. Mercury emitted by burnt coal can cause brain damage. It seems that we already have one before we even burnt one. Well who cares anyway. Iloilo is already famous for it besides batchoy, remember. At least we have something consistent to be "proud" of and known for.
Irregardless of what we do it is still the dirtiest among the fossil fuels. We can lessen its emissions, but we could not totally obliterate its hazardous by products.
Second, clean coal technology, if there will be any, is still in the experimental stage (as in Australia, they pump emissions underground such as an empty oil well!). If all goes well, it may be, and it is a big may be, commercially viable in the year 2020 or 2025, that’s more than ten years from now.
And third, at this stage, the price of producing power from the so called clean coal (the "real" one) is exorbitantly high, around 1,530 dollars per kilowatt! Imagine that! This is because the process of lessening some of its pollutants can really be very costly. And I say some because it could probably eliminate a great portion of carbon monoxide, lead and mercury but not carbon dioxide and radionuclide.
And besides, though it is cheaper compared to crude oil and it is found in abundance all over the world especially in the US and in China, the Philippines is blessed only with a minimal amount of coal (and far dirtier than dirty coal). So we still have to import it anyway. (By the way the rise in electricity worldwide is caused by the rise in the prices of coal worldwide.)
Though these points are crucial, my main point rather is in the attitude of its proponents, the government and the businessmen.
What’s my point? My point is the seeming inconsistency in our principles.
First, the city prided itself as one of the first to legislate an anti-smoking ordinance. Two years ago I saw streamers along the city route to that effect. There is even a big billboard on top of Robinson’s place with pictures of young people together with our chain-smoking mayor saying no to smoking. That itself may be inconsistent already. But all of a sudden, with the hype on the anti-smoking ordinance they came up with the idea of building a coal-fired power plant!
Added to this is the much hullabaloo on closing Calahunan, the dumpsite of the city, because it is emitting a very foul smell not excluding insect borne diseases. All these while arguing for the putting up of a coal-fired power plant!
Then there is this so much trouble for a crematorium, first there in Jaro, at Commission Civil Street, then again somewhere in Balabago. They could not stand a crematorium, but they would put up a coal-fired power plant!
Barangay Bakhaw passed a barangay ordinance prohibiting the burning of garbage while the city is pushing for a power plant that would burn tons of coal everyday for the next 40 to 50 years, the life span of a coal-fired power plant!
We have anti-smoke belching laws (which we could not implement anyway), we have laws requiring oil refineries to take away lead from gasoline and sell only unleaded because lead is a hazard to health. But then all of a sudden they want to put up a coal-fired power plant.
But haven’t we signed the Kyoto Protocol in 2003 committing ourselves to lower our carbon emissions? And what about the Asean Declaration signed by the Philippines on its 13th session in 2007 committing ourselves to act in accord with the Kyoto Protocol in stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations to 1994 level? And what have we with our present DENR chief who declared with pride in Bali that the Philippines “is one of the few countries with mandatory vehicle emission testing mandated by law . . . banned open burning and . . . are in the top ten countries that have the most number of clean development mechanism.” (The very same person who said this, so they say, would gladly sign the ECC for our coal-fired power plant.) All these are being said and done while the mayor of the City of Iloilo (which by the way won Grand Slam! Gawad Pangulo Para sa Kapaligiran) and the councilors are toying with the idea, and not just toying, but even already paving the way, for putting up a coal-fired power plant.
Well, frankly, I don’t know what to make of this. Probably, when the desire to further enrich ourselves overpowers us, principles are placed at the back-burner. We say one thing, we do another. (This is one attitude GMA and her government have been so successful in.) Inconsistency becomes the rule. We have a government which cannot even as much as honor its signed commitments. Understandably so, if it could lie to us, why should it not lie to them?! This is the kind of leadership we get probably because of the kind of people we are!
Come, come, let us reason together, please. If doctors, educators, pastors, priests and bishops are one in saying it’s bad (and by the way, these people seldom agree on one thing!), whom would you believe? Your barangay captain? Your Mayor? Your City Councilors? The businessmen? Lord, help us!
And so be it.
Now the church of Jaro is accused of being anti-development even by some business people who happen to be close supporters of the church. And some priests already got a beating from these generous benefactors. Well that’s what you get when you remain consistent with your principles and your definition of what real development is. And to think now that these are the people who would often tell me of the hazards of smoking, and I in my aim to please them would take pains hiding myself whenever I smoke. They want me to quit so they can put up a coal-fired power plant!
This inconsistency is truly upsetting!
P.S. Mercury emitted by burnt coal can cause brain damage. It seems that we already have one before we even burnt one. Well who cares anyway. Iloilo is already famous for it besides batchoy, remember. At least we have something consistent to be "proud" of and known for.
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