Fwd: [cleanair-l] Coal plants giants among polluters

[Guest guest]

> " Ontario Clean Air Alliance "

> <contact

> <cleanair-l

> Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:00:47 -0500

> [cleanair-l] Coal plants giants among

> polluters

>

> Ontario's four coal plants dwarf most other air

> pollution sources in the

> province, according to new calculations by the

> Ontario Clean Air Alliance.

> Our new report, OPG: Ontario's Pollution Giant,

> documents the staggering

> emissions from the province's coal plants and their

> gigantic contribution to

> climate change.

>

> Using federal government data, we found that carbon

> dioxide emissions from

> the coal plants increased by 90% between 1995 and

> 2005 and are now

> responsible for a whopping 40% of the province's

> total industrial carbon

> dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the major

> greenhouse gas that causes

> dangerous climate change.

>

> But it's not just what these massive polluters are

> pumping into our air. It

> turns out, they are also big landfillers of ash

> containing toxic materials

> like arsenic and mercury while also shipping tonnes

> of this material to

> other facilities for uses ranging from road building

> to making cement (a

> process during which the toxics in the ash are

> reheated and possibly

> re-released).

>

> Installing pollution controls that can't capture

> carbon dioxide or shipping

> mercury containing ash to cement kilns are perfect

> examples of the futility

> of trying to use end-of-pipe solutions to deal with

> the massive pollution

> footprint of coal plants. A far better solution is

> to quickly replace dirty

> coal with energy efficiency, renewable power and

> cleaner burning natural gas

> - a recipe for real pollution abatement.

>

> To read this report, please visit

> http://www.cleanair.web.ca/resource/opgiant.pdf.

>

> Please pass this message on to your friends.

>

> Thank you.

>

> Jessica Fracassi

> Ontario Clean Air Alliance

> Communications & Membership Manager

> 402-625 Church St, Toronto M4Y 2G1

> Phone: 416-926-1907 ext. 245

> Fax: 416-926-1601

> Email: contact

> Website: www.cleanairalliance.org

> <http://www.cleanairalliance.org/>

>

> _____

>

> The Ontario Clean Air Alliance is a coalition of

> health, environmental, and

> consumer organizations, faith communities,

> municipalities, utilities,

> unions, corporations and individuals working for

> cleaner air through a coal

> phase-out and the shift to a renewable electricity

> future. Our partner

> organizations represent more than six million

> Ontarians.

>

> To or to this list please

> visit

> www.cleanair.web.ca/getin

> <http://www.cleanair.web.ca/getin/index.html> .

>

>