miishism's flickr photostream (creative commons)

Climate change talks began this afternoon on Capitol Hill, and if the coal industry has it’s way, we’re not likely to see any serious legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions any time soon.  The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) maintains a corral of aggressive lobbyists and is spending millions of dollars to convince Washington and the public that “clean coal” is the way of the future. In reality, the technology for effectively capturing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants does not exist yet, and the industry would rather spend money on a glitzy PR campaign to distract us then actually invest in expensive solutions to their dirty power.

As carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, we approach a dangerous tipping point in our contribution to climate change.  We can not afford to allow the coal industry to shape climate policy any more than it already has.  Hopefully the hearings this week will be shaped more by the messages of Earth Week, and work towards a true clean energy future and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and not the greed and recklessness of the coal industry.  The EPA’s announcement last week that named carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as threats to public health is a good sign that Capitol Hill is ready to tackle climate change policy, but given the might of the coal industry, we can’t just sit back and hope for the best.
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