Air pollution from Australia’s ageing and increasingly unreliable coal-burning power stations is responsible for 800 premature deaths, 14,000 asthma symptoms among children and 850 cases of low birth weight in newborns each year, according to a ground-breaking report by Greenpeace.
Air pollution can travel hundreds of kilometres from its emitting source
The report Lethal Power: How burning coal is killing people in Australia,marks the first time the health impacts of burning coal for electricity have been scientifically assessed at a national level and the results are alarming.
“Australians all over the country are paying for electricity with their lives and health, even if they don’t use power from burning coal or live near a power station,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Campaigner, Jonathan Moylan said.
“Now that we know the devastating toll that coal is taking on Australian lives and livelihoods, governments have no excuse not to act. We need urgent action from state Environment Ministers to tackle dangerous air pollution.”
Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent direct action to expose global environmental problems and to force solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.
