In many provinces, our electricity is being generated from an energy source that is quietly poisoning our people and the planet: coal.
But there are signs abroad that citizens want change. Concerns are growing about the effects of coal-related air pollution on people with asthma and other diseases, as well as the disproportionate contribution made by coal to climate change — “the greatest threat to global health of the 21st Century,” according to the World Health Organization.
At the climate change negotiations in Paris, the Canadian government promised to produce a new climate plan within 90 days of the signing of the Paris Agreement. A major focus of that plan should be to improve federal regulations for coal-fired power plants.
Some provinces have made great strides already. In November, the Alberta government announced an accelerated coal phase-out, pledging to eliminate emissions from coal-fired electricity by 2030. Alberta is joining Ontario, which set a world-leading pace when it shuttered its last coal-fired plant in April of 2014, only ten years after setting the goal. More recently, Denmark and the U.K. have made similar bold pledges.
There is much to learn from the experiences of Alberta and Ontario. In both provinces, there were worrying signs of worsening air pollution — with substantial evidence that coal combustion was a significant contributor. In 2005, Ontario had 58 smog alert days. Recently, communities in central Alberta failed to meet air quality standards set by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. Canadians were worried. They had every right to be.
The scientific evidence for the health effects of coal pollution is clear. Coal emits a toxic blend of chemicals — sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter 2.5 (very small chemical particles which can be absorbed into the bloodstream), mercury, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, benzenes and a host of others.
Coal pollution has been associated with myriad health issues, such as cancer, autism, miscarriages and poor lung and brain development in children.The most direct effects are on the lungs, worsening chronic diseases like asthma and emphysema. But the evidence shows that the greatest damage is to the cardiovascular system; heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms, strokes and substantial mortality are associated with both short-term spikes in pollution and long-term exposure.
Coal pollution has been associated with myriad other health issues, such as cancer, autism (through pregnant mothers’ exposure), miscarriages and poor lung and brain development in children.
Now that coal has been phased out in Ontario, air pollution in the province has decreased precipitously over the last decade. From a peak in 2005, smog alert days have steadily declined — to zero in 2014 and 2015. Toronto Public Health reported in 2015 that Ontario’s improved air quality prevents 400 deaths and 2,450 hospitalizations in Toronto annually.
In addition to air pollution, coal contributes significantly to climate change. Coal is easily the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, emitting about 40 per cent more GHGs per kWh than natural gas. Eliminating coal (and replacing it with energy efficiency and renewables) must be an integral part of any serious climate policy.
We know that all provincial governments want the best health for their citizens — but Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia currently intend to have plants burning coal well into the 2040s. We can do better.
With federal and provincial leaders promising to meet in the near future to discuss options for climate mitigation strategies, the elimination of coal-fired power needs to be back on the table.
Recently, the Canadian Medical Association affirmed the need for immediate action on climate and a commitment to meaningful and urgent action to combat the adverse health impacts of climate change. To that end, the CMA would like to see a coal-power-free Canada in ten years’ time.
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, the Canadian Public Health Association, the Canadian Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada would like to lend their voices to the call for a coal phase-out by 2026.
Canada can’t afford to miss such a win/win opportunity. With a single policy shift, the Trudeau government can improve our air and our health, and make our climate safer — launching us into a new age of healthy energy. Our children — all citizens — deserve nothing less.
Joe Vipond is an emergency physician and a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Ian Culbert is the executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association
The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.