Coal Pollution and the Fight For Environmental Justice

Coal Pollution and the Fight For Environmental Justice by Diane Toomey

When the NAACP recently released a report on the disproportionate effects of coal-fired plants on minorities, Jacqueline Patterson led the efforts to spread its message that these facilities were “killing low-income communities and communities of color.”

Patterson is the Environmental and Climate Justice Director for the venerable civil rights organization — a job whose purpose is sometimes questioned by the NAACP’s own constituents. As Patterson puts it, “Some of the communities I work in were like, ‘Well, we’re dealing with double digit unemployment and people dying of AIDS, people being racially profiled, high murder rates. How is melting ice caps and polar bear extinction going to become a priority for us?’”

In an interview with Yale Environment 360 contributor Diane Toomey, Patterson discusses how she answers that thorny question and outlines the reasons behind the NAACP’s campaign to shut down coal-fired plants. She also talks about the often-difficult relationship between environmental justice organizations and major U.S. green groups. “We need to have tough conversations around organizational culture,” she says. “And we need more joint strategizing on how we can collaborate more effectively.”

Yale Environment 360: A few months ago, the NAACP released a report entitled “Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People.” It examined the effects of coal-fired plants on minority communities in the U.S. Paint a picture of who is most likely to live near these power plants.

Clean Coal Could be the Solution to Global Warming and others

Clean Coal Could be the Solution to Global Warming

 4.15.13 Sarah Battaglia, Energy Consultant, Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc.


The damaging effects that result from burning coal may soon be nonexistent. It took scientists from Ohio State University 15 years and $5 million, but the clean coal technique has finally been developed. They have discovered a way to obtain the energy from coal without actually burning it, eliminating nearly all of the pollution.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), "Coal emits sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and heavy metals (such as mercury and arsenic) and acid gases (such as hydrogen chloride), which have been linked to acid rain, smog, and health issues. Coal also emits carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas." Even with so many harmful side-effects, the U.S. continues get a large amount of its energy from coal, roughly 20 percent. Well enough is enough. It is time to embrace the clean coal technique.