We're pretty bad

[mattm]

So I was reading the metro this morning and came across this, which I already knew about but really don't like:

Coal plants kill too many: Activists

Ontario exports of coal-generated electricity to the U.S. are killing 130 people annually in the province, environmentalists charge. That’s because 20 per cent of Ontario Power Generation’s coal-fired energy is sold stateside and overall coal is blamed for 660 of the 6,000 smog-caused premature deaths here each year. "We’re told that these 660 deaths are necessary because without coal-fired electricity the lights won’t stay on in Ontario," Franz Hartmann, executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, said yesterday. "We’re here to tell that 130 of those deaths are completely unnecessary."

hmmmmm

We’re told that these 660 deaths are necessary because without coal-fired electricity the lights won’t stay on in Ontario,

There's just something wrong with that statement. I don't really understand how we can justify the killing of 660 people just to have some lights. I see buildings with all the lights on all night, every night. Why are they not being held accountable? Should we not really start doing something about this?

[boiler]

go Nuclear!!

[Ms Zimmy]

Hey MattM

Do you still have the link to that?

I think that people here would know something about that and I too am curious!

If not, no worries.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Sounds like another Ford Pinto Memo moment.

[boiler]

I'd like to add that there are ways to burn coal fairly efficiently. At a couple units at the Nanticoke Generating Staion and also on a couple units at Lampton that have what are called SCR's (Selective Catalytic Reduction units).

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means of removing nitrogen oxides, often the most abundant and polluting component in exhaust gases, through a chemical reaction between the exhaust gases, a (reductant) additive, and a catalyst.

A gaseous or liquid reductant (most commonly ammonia or urea) is added to a stream of flue or exhaust gas and is absorbed onto a catalyst. The reductant reacts with NOx in the exhaust gas to form harmless H2O (water vapour) and N2 (nitrogen gas).

These in combination with precipitators make a very efficient way to burn coal with little pollution. The biggest problem as I see it is the public is very quick to dismiss coal fired generation because most plants still don't use SCR's. We'd be better of building SCR's for all the remaining plants than we would destroying them. Unless we keep building Nukes, but believe me, this takes a lot of time and cost HUGE amounts of dollars. SCR's are a hell of a lot cheaper.

We're also building Gas fired Co-Gen's left and right in this province, using up valuable natural gas resources.

[mattm]

Here's the link to the newspaper:

http://www.metronews.ca/uploadedFiles/PDFs/20070717_ottawa.pdf

pdf format. I pasted the whole article above but I've read other things about this. It's the whole idea that 6000 or so people die of smog that gets me, not the problem with coal plants. Cars, planes, anything that produces exhaust. It just seems odd to me that when I get old but still don't want to die, I might have to so that everyone can get around and have lights. I think I'd rather play with my grandchildren than die, to tell the truth, and since I smoke and smoke (if you know what I mean), there's a chance that I fall into that 6000 or so people that won't make it.

I just think it seems kind of mean on our part to say to people that they have to die so we can have luxuries. Hahahaha, just read that statement and thought about ALL the luxuries we have and how many people die abroad so that we can have them. Now I feel just terrible