Coal - 'No longer fit for purpose on a crowded and overheated planet'

This report has been produced on behalf of the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) to support its advocacy for the protection and promotion of health from the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

The health implications of energy policy are a key concern for CAHA and

An image from the report.

highlighting the risks to health from energy choices is a core element of its work.

This report was developed using a combination of sources, including international and national health and medical literature on coal and health, as well as grey literature, including submissions to government inquiries, academic, scientific and industry reports, reports from think tanks, community organisations, and media and from interviews with local community members and experts.

It represents an analysis and synthesis of the selected sources. It is not a systematic scientific review.

This report aims to highlight the risks to health associated with the rapid expansion of coal mining in the Hunter Valley for the local population as well as the risk to the global community from the contribution to climate change from coal exports.

It is aimed at politicians, policymakers, media, those advocating for policy change, health professionals, and communities affected by coal mining and combustion, in the Hunter Valley and elsewhere.

In its conclusion the report says:

“As a recent editorial in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health concluded, coal is a fuel that is “no longer fit for purpose on a crowded and overheated planet.

“Australia is extremely fortunate in that it has access to some of the most abundant renewable energy resources in the world. Coupled with energy efficiency initiatives, it is possible to replace coal-fired electricity generation in the Hunter Valley with cleaner, healthier alternatives – and in doing so, support the development of a new regional industry.

“It is time for policy and planning decisions to be implemented that allow regions like the Hunter Valley to begin a transition to other less harmful industries that will provide a safe, healthy and economically secure future.”

Read the report here: ”Coal and health in the Hunter: Lessons from one valley for the world”.