Coal doesn’t help the poor; it makes them poorer

A dozen international poverty and development organizations published a report last week on the impact of building new coal power plants in countries where a large percentage of the population lacks access to electricity. The report’s conclusions are strikingly counter-intuitive: on the whole, building coal power plants does little to help the poor, and often it can actually make them poorer.

The coal-fired Castle Gate Power Plant is pictured outside Helper, Utah.

Delivering electricity to those in energy poverty is certainly important. For example, household air pollution killed 4.3 million people globally in 2012; many of those lives could be saved and health improved with the use of electric stoves to replace burning wood or charcoal. However, the question remains whether coal is the best way to deliver that electricity.

Read The Guardian story by Dana Nuccitelli story - “Coal doesn’t help the poor; it makes them poorer.”

Scott Morrison says partisan politics has driven up power prices

Treasurer Scott Morrison has flagged further support from the Turnbull frontbench for bipartisan energy policy, acknowledging that politics as usual has driven up power prices, and calling for both parties to “meet in the middle”.

Scott Morrison examines a lump of coal, which he used
in an attempt to belittle Labor. The treasurer is
now calling for bipartisan energy policy.

The remarks, reported in Rockhampton’s Morning Bulletin, follow a speech Morrison delivered in Adelaide last week where he admitted building new coal power plants would not bring down power prices.

The statements appear to mark a shift from Morrison’s previous interjections in the energy policy debate, which included him brandishing a piece of coal in question time.

Read Michael Slezak’s story on The Guardian - “Scott Morrison says partisan politics has driven up power prices.”