Coal is Not the Answer to Energy Poverty and Here’s Why

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Worldwide, the coal industry is suffering as the demand for its product weakens in the face of a surge in clean, renewable energy options and a world that can no longer afford to continue to consume this dirty fossil fuel.

To deal with this decline in revenue, some coal companies like Peabody Energy are spending millions on advertising, public relations and lobbyists to convince politicians that coal is the answer to the issue of energy poverty in developing nations in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world.

The coal industry will be working hard over the next month, starting at the recent G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey and continuing at the Paris climate conference in December, to convince world leaders that coal is part of the solution to energy poverty.

Here’s a a series of fact-filled infographics that tell the real story about coal and energy poverty:

#1: Coal is No Cure to Energy Poverty [click here or on the image to send a Tweet about it]

#2: World’s Poorest Most Affected by Coal [click here or on the image to send a Tweet about it]

#3: Climate Change is a Driver of Poverty That Threatens Decades of Development [click here or on the image to send a Tweet about it]

#4: Coal Causes 1 Million Premature Deaths Every Year [click here or on the image to send a Tweet about it]

#5: 

Blog image: Woman in mask walking away from coal burning power plant via Shutterstock.

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Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.

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