While the rest of the global superpowers are on a limbo on whether or not to sign climate agreements (Hello US), with some government officials flat out insisting that climate change is not real (Hi Donald Trump), local government units in the country are making a more decisive move towards finding a solution. One that specifically addresses a long known cause of global warming, coal burning.
Negros Occidental is the latest province to become coal-free through an Executive Order signed by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. Through EO No. 19-08 signed Wednesday, its LGU opposed the entry of coal-fired power plants and declared the province as a source of renewable energy.
In a statement, Marañon said “Climate change is already wreaking havoc on weather conditions with devastating effects. We need to act now to prevent further damage by banning coal plants in Negros.”
The EO comes after calls from the public specifically the youth to stop SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. from building a 300-megawatt circulating fluidized bed coal-fired power plant in San Carlos City.
A similar EO has been issued last year by Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo banning plants in his province of jurisdiction.
The Provincial Renewable Energy Council which is created through EO No. 19-08 will be overseeing recommendations for alternative and greener energy sources.
According to a Senate report in 2017, coal made up 50 percent of the country’s total power generation. This is despite the known hazards of utilizing it which include nitrogen, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide and methane emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change.
These air pollutants are also responsible for adverse health effects like heart and lung diseases, eye and skin damage and even internal organ deterioration.
Header photo courtesy of Ronnie Baldonado for Inquirer.net
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Writer: CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE
