Deseret News. (2023, Aug 17). Will green energy kill coal mining? Why these industry leaders say it won’t. Retrieved August 20th, 2023, from https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/8/17/23827237/will-green-energy-kill-coal-mining-workers-biden-administration
As demand for coal for energy decreases, coal is falling out of the energy market. With coal plants having to close soon, workers are faced with dilemmas of what to do after. The Biden Administration views and speaks of coal, and fossil fuels in general, as a “climate change-causing hag in dire need of retirement”. The American Coal Council says that coal should be saved. They also say that the U.S. is on a trajectory to energy poverty. South Africa can face up to 10 hours a day with no power, partly due to the aging of their coal-fired power plants.
I definitely agree with the Biden Administration here, and I believe that it is a fact that fossil fuels lead to climate change. When I read what the American Coal Council had responded, it made me look at the other side of the clean energy Act. But not the side about people needing money and jobs, the side about how it could hurt our economic growth. But I still believe that clean energy is a lot better than the fossil fuels being used today, leading to climate change.
Seeing the direct impact of green energy on coal-mining-dependent places is understandably complicated. Do you think that on a large scale, coal-fired power plants could be upgraded to more modern ways of getting power?
Thank you for your feedback, yes, on a large scale, coal-fired power plants can definitely be upgraded to more modern ways, whether that means clean energy or not. For instance, you could upgrade equipment.
You share the Biden Administration’s view on moving away from fossil fuels due to climate concerns. But how do you think we can help workers in the coal and fossil fuel industries who might lose their jobs during this transition to cleaner energy sources?
I think that we could help push the government to help them out in various ways, with new jobs with the same or higher pay, and also alternative jobs and money incomes.