Climate, health, and Alberta's coal-fired power plants /

After work with the Toronto Environmental Alliance and Pollution Probe, he oversaw the Illness Costs of Air Pollution projects at the Ontario Medical Association and advised the Canadian Medical Association on the development of their national analysis of the health impacts of air pollution. [...] Although there are a number of policies in place geared toward shortening the life of coal-fired power plants in the province, the perspective of the Independent Power Producers Society of Alberta is that a mere seven per cent of the coal-fired power plant capacity has to close by 2030.1. [...] John Howard, chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said, “The combustion of coal pollutes the air, causing illness and death in more people than any other method of energy generation.”5 It is important that the panel consider not just the current health impacts of burning coal, but also the cumulative impact and costs over time. [...] It is also a concern that the majority of the coal in Alberta is on Crown land, owned by the province, and is mined through the provision of Crown leases. [...] Coal currently supplies approximately 22 per cent of the electricity mix.35 To that end, the U. K. announced the closure of two plants by March 2016: the Eggborough power station in Yorkshire; and the Longannet power station in Fife, which is one of the biggest coal plants in Europe and the last in Scotland.36 The European Union’s Industrial Emissions Directive requires plants to reduce the amount