The external or uncounted cost of coal pollution is not only borne by coal regions where mountains are bombed as the quickest way to get to coal, resulting in the poisoning of lakes and streams. The uncounted cost of coal is not figured in the exponential rise of asthma, emphysema and certain cancers. Coal is a fossil fuel that continues to release carbon into our atmosphere and oceans.
One quarter of all carbon is absorbed by our oceans. And now we understand the consequences of increasing CO2 levels resulting in decreasing pH in seawater. Coral reefs are endangered and may not be able to replace themselves sufficiently to provide viability for an estimated 1 million species that depend upon coral habitat. Species that calcify including clams, oysters, sea urchins, shallow- and deep-water corals, and calcareous plankton are losing the ability to make shells. With these shelled organisms at risk, the entire food chain is on life support. The uncounted cost of ocean acidification cannot be measured. But unless curtailed, it will spell doom for our oceans and ultimately our lives. The Paris Accord is a lifeline for humanity.
Meanwhile, the development of green energy is becoming competitive and expanding rapidly around the world, and by 2020, England will supply all of its energy needs with offshore wind farms.
Seven countries are planning to be carbon neutral in the next decade. Many states, including Delaware, and many cities in the U.S., including Lewes, support the pledge to reduce carbon. Our survival depends on it.
Kit Zak
Lewes
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