Greenpeace warns against coal-fired power plants

International environment crusader Greenpeace is urging local communities being eyed as sites for coal-fired power plants to reject plans to build these facilities in their area.

In a forum held last week by Greenpeace Philippines, community leaders from different parts of the Philippines and Thailand gathered in Manila to forge alliances and warn others of their tragic experiences in hosting coal-fired power plants.

The forum is part of a series meant to strengthen Greenpeace’s campaign against the construction of coal power plants believed to be a major source of toxic emissions and which contributes to global warming. The Philippines and Thailand are among the most vulnerable countries from the impacts of climate change.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change noted that developing countries in Southeast Asia are expected to suffer most from climate change in terms of loss of life and effects on the economy. Extreme weather events such as strong typhoons, flooding, landslides, and droughts will occur more frequently and with greater severity.

Maleewan Nakwirot, a farmer from Mae Moh in Northern Thailand which hosts the 2,600-megawatt (MW) Mae Moh coal plant said many of the village residents now have varying respiratory diseases and other diseases believed to be caused by toxic emissions from the plant. "When the government started this coal plant, they promised us jobs, but at present very few people in our village work in the plant and they only do menial jobs. Two hundred of our friends and relatives have died due to respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Our farms do not provide us with enough crops like before, our water is contaminated with toxins. We have to face the choice of either to relocate or accept death," said Maleewan.

On the other hand, other communities like Pulupandan in the Visayas, successfully trounced plans to put up a 50-MW coal plant. After six years of community opposition, the government scrapped the project.

"Our community collectively decided that we better get hold of our future, and the future of our children and community. We knew that a coal plant could only bring disaster to our health and our environment. We rejected the thought of hosting coal, the largest contributor to global climate change," said Ella Jacildo, community leader of Pulupandan.

"The twin threats of global climate change and toxic pollution caused by coal put our people at most risk. We have no choice but to go for a sustainable clean energy future," added Jasper Inventor, climate campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.