South Africa | Report: Coal Plants Cause 2,200 Premature Deaths and Cost $2 Billion Annually

South Africa | Report: Coal Plants Cause 2,200 Premature Deaths and Cost $2 Billion Annually
Post Date September 13, 2017
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Air pollution from coal-fired power stations kills more than 2,200 South Africans every year, and causes thousands of cases of bronchitis and asthma in adults and children annually. This costs the country more than R30 billion annually, through hospital admissions and lost working days.

These findings were presented by UK-based air quality and health expert Dr. Mike Holland to the Department of Environmental Affairs, members of the Environmental Affairs and Health Portfolio Committees, and to the Public Health Association of South Africa in September 2017.

Dr. Holland told decision-makers that …

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Global | Health organization leaders launch global campaign on air pollution

Global | Health organization leaders launch global campaign on air pollution
Post Date May 2, 2017
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Unmask My City is global initiative by doctors, nurses, public health practitioners, and allied healthcare professionals dedicated to improving air quality and reducing emissions in our cities.

Launching today on World Asthma Day, Unmask My City, a global initiative in 10 cities on five continents, aims to promote practical solutions and create tangible policy changes that drive a clear, downward global trend in urban air pollution by 2030.

This will result in significant reductions in illnesses and deaths as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Through Unmask My …

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South Africa | Death and destruction: What’s left out of energy planning

South Africa | Death and destruction: What’s left out of energy planning
Post Date April 25, 2017
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The South African Department of Energy’s released Integrated Resource Plan does not seriously factor in the pollution impact of its current and planned energy mix and appears to have distorted the data to favour coal and nuclear, writes David Hallowes, researcher for groundWork (Healthy Energy Initiative’s partner in South Africa):

Pollution from Eskom’s [coal-fired] power plants result in 2,240 attributable deaths each year. And every day, some 11,000 people are physically restricted in what they can do while 2,700 lose the day’s work. The economic impact is …

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Global | New Solutions Article on Global Campaign for Healthy Energy

Global | New Solutions Article on Global Campaign for Healthy Energy
Post Date January 4, 2016
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“From Extraction to Renewal: A Global Campaign for Healthy Energy”

The Healthy Energy Initiative team is pleased to share a new article published in the peer-reviewed journal New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. The article appears in a special issue on “Health, Environmental Policy and the Extractive Industries.”

To download the full text of the article (authors’ accepted manuscript), click here.
For additional information from New Solutions, and to download the version published in the journal, click here (subscription required; DOI: 10.1177/1048291115610433).
For additional resources from the Healthy Energy Initiative, …

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Global | Film Festival to Shine Spotlight on Health Costs of Coal

Global | Film Festival to Shine Spotlight on Health Costs of Coal
Post Date November 23, 2015
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International health and environmental advocates will host a mini festival of award-winning short films that highlight the health and social effects of coal. As part of the festival, the Healthy Energy Initiative will be presenting three short films produced by its partners in Australia, the Philippines, and South Africa. Other films will explore coal development in Russia and China. Together, these are some of the largest coal-producing countries in the world.

The December 7th Paris event coincides with the second week of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP21). As world …

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South Africa | Spotlight on Climate, Energy, and Air Pollution at Public Health Conference

South Africa | Spotlight on Climate, Energy, and Air Pollution at Public Health Conference
Post Date October 23, 2015
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Facilitated by Health Care Without Harm’s Strategic Partner in South Africa, groundWork, climate change, energy choices, and air pollution were prominently featured at the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Conference held in Durban on October 7-9, 2015.

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South Africa | Billboard Campaign on Health Impacts of Coal

Post Date August 17, 2015
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With road-side billboards stating “Coal pollution is killing your family” and “Coal pollution is destroying your health,” the Healthy Energy Initiative’s South African partner, groundWork, is raising awareness about the impacts of coal on health. The billboards were installed in English and isiZulu in communities impacted by pollution from the coal industry.

The billboard campaign follows the successful launch of the documentary “The Bliss of Ignorance.”

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South Africa | Hard-Hitting Coal & Health Documentary Launched Online

Post Date July 27, 2015
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Award-winning South African documentary The Bliss of Ignorance officially launched online today, making it widely available for public access. The new film, produced in association with Healthy Energy Initiative’s South Africa partner, groundWork, and Friends of the Earth International, looks at the impact of South Africa’s energy policy — particularly the support for Eskom, the state’s energy utility’s reliance on coal-fired power stations — on public health. Set against the wider climate change debate, The Bliss of Ignorance highlights how the mining and burning of coal affects the environment, polluting …

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Global | Governments Recognize Air Pollution’s Threat to Human Health

Post Date May 28, 2015
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World Health Assembly’s Air Pollution Resolution is a Small First Step

Image courtesy of WHO

The world’s governments took an important step forward in recognizing air pollution as a major threat to human health, by issuing a resolution at the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May. However, governments were unwilling or unable to address the single most significant source of both outdoor air pollution and climate change: society’s dependence on fossil fuels, particularly the combustion of coal for energy generation.

The Healthy Energy Initiative expressed concern that the magnitude and urgency …

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