By: PROF DR BENJAMIN YAPP
SABAH is endowed in rich natural resources and has mineral deposits. Recently, the subject of coal fired plants has been of public interest and much talked about by the general public in Sabah as it concerned many health-conscience men and women and environmentalists who are very much concerned on the environmental and health effects on our beautiful, natural landscape and human livelihood in the ‘land below the wind’ and of course, it is best described as a ‘land of milk and honey’ for all!
Albeit coal fired plants may be used as an alternative energy source for economic and social advantages, but they have ecological effects on lives and our environment. We are aware of the fact that coal fires are a serious problem that is the hazards to our health, safety and our natural environment.
Coal fires emit toxic fumes, carbon dioxide (co2) and mercury that are detrimental to our health if they are not being properly used.
Already now that the world’s annual Co2 emissions into the atmosphere is 3%. According to Greenpeace international; “coal fired plants are the BIGGEST source of made-made Co2 emissions”.
Coal fires and gases have contributed to global warming. Besides they affected upon the landscape and environment.
On the other hand, coal fires can cause dangerous forest fire. For instance, in Indonesia, coal and peat fires often ignited by forest fires caused by burning of forest to clear land for plantation crops of pulp wood, palm oil and rubber.
In the 2004 outbreak of forest fire in Indonesia resulted from land clearing that enveloped substantial portions of Borneo and Sumatra disrupting air travel, affecting health and safety of the people. And we, in Sabah and Sarawak were also affected by large column of smoke.
Thus, they are destructive and their environmental effects caused pollution of the atmosphere with toxins that leave a trail of landscape devoid of vegetation and uninhabitable for wild-life and human existence in a long run. The toxins from the coal fires burning make people sick, sometimes culminating in death, especially among the sick, infants and elderly people.
Asides these health problems, the toxic fly ash and vapors that pollute water, soil and air promote human diseases including asthma, eye disease, and chronic bronchitis as well as lung and skin cancer.
Therefore, Coal fires release fly ash and smoke laden with greenhouse gasses and toxic chemicals that endanger our health, ecological environment and natural habitats upon wild-life and the livelihood of mankind.
As Sabah has rich natural resources from the free abundant of tropical sun-light to water-falls and palm oil that are environmental friendly as opposed to the coal fired plants, we DON’T NEED coal to make electricity!
Our clean energy solutions already EXIST for millions of years! Go for a combination of solar system, hydro-electricity power plants and natural palm oil to produce the economic, environmental friendly and reliable electricity that last for a life time.
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