Our folks
spoke
at meetings of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development, which was
was
hosting its "Policy Year" focusing on energy for sustainable
development. Our delegation
urged
the UN Commission to embrace greater use of renewable energy and
shun the push for highly polluting
coal-to-liquid refineries.
Our delegation made certain
the voices of the people struggling with the effects of mountaintop
removal coal mining were
heard.
On May 8, the Appalachian
Coalfield Delegation held a press conference to officially release
its
report to the United Nations.
The report notes: "The mountains of central Appalachia are famous
for their natural beauty, unique culture, and some of the greatest
diversity of life in the temperate world. They are also home to the
highest quality bituminous coal in North America. As a result of the
increasing demand for coal and the increasing use of mountaintop
removal to mine it, more than 1 million acres of Appalachian forests
could be leveled (editor's correction), more than 470 mountains destroyed, and more than
1,000 miles of streams buried in just the last few decades. Every
year in central Appalachia, one million metric tons of explosives
are used by the coal industry to blow up our mountains, equaling the
explosive force of 58 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs."
Our delegation made these recommendations to the United Nation’s
Commission on Sustainable Development:
- Oppose mountaintop removal and other similarly destructive
extraction processes;
- Adopt definitions for a common language of sustainable energy;
- Promote binding commitments rather than voluntary partnerships
as a solution; relying on "good business" has failed to halt the
destruction of communities and has not adequately spurred
development of renewable energy solutions;
- Encourage rapid renewable energy development and conservation
through policies such as implementation of renewable portfolio
standards and removal of subsidies for fossil fuels; and
- Oppose non-renewable energy development such as so-called
"clean coal" technologies that are used to justify continued
dependence of fossil fuels, with the exception of technologies that
reduce air pollution during the transition period to reliance on
renewable energy sources.
Ann League, a coalfield resident and vice president, Save Our
Cumberland Mountains of Lake City, Tenn., said: “The impacts of coal
mining abuses do not stop at a mountain's edge. Children suffer from
dangerous levels of coal dust, homes are damaged by blasting and
increased flooding, and entire communities have been displaced.”
Larry Gibson, coalfield resident and board member, Ohio Valley
Environmental Coalition, Huntington, W.Va., said: “We need the help
of the UN to expose and bring an end to coal mining abuses. With the
beauty of our mountains destroyed, much of the landscape unable to
support native forests, and water supplies frequently contaminated,
communities in Appalachia are left with few economic alternatives
other than the coal companies that are destroying the region and its
peoples’ way of life.”
Judy Bonds, a coalfield resident and organizer, Coal River
Mountain Watch, Whitesville, W.Va., said: “This problem is not
unique to Appalachia. Communities that hold fossil fuels beneath
their surface have long suffered the true costs for society’s
appetite for energy. From the Niger delta to the Ecuadorian rain
forests to indigenous peoples in the Southwest United States. We
stand in solidarity with communities around the world where fossil
fuels are being extracted and homelands are being destroyed for
energy.”
Erica Urias, coalfield resident and member, Kentuckians for the
Commonwealth of London, Ky., said: “We are here today at CSD to
reach out to other delegations. We call on our own government to
support these recommendations as we all work for a just and
sustainable future. Who will stand with us?”
Below are some photos from the
United Nations visit and the press conference.
