From the course: 34 Things to Know about Carbon and Climate

Coal power is more dangerous than nuclear

From the course: 34 Things to Know about Carbon and Climate

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Coal power is more dangerous than nuclear

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- Coal power is far more dangerous than nuclear. Last year, more than 500,000 people died from coal-related illnesses or accidents. - While we are on the topic of things that are unsettling, let's get really clear about coal. "The Guardian" reported in 2018 that 8 million people died from air pollution-related injuries due to coal. It was one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Half a million? It's much bigger than that. That when we think about nuclear, there are catastrophic risks. When we think about nuclear fission, there have been three famous close calls and almost a hundred not-famous close calls. I am not minimizing any of that. Getting energy out of the ground is scary. It turns out using uranium to make power, also scary. But coal? Coal right now is killing people. Killing people in your neighborhood, killing people in China, killing people in India, killing people around the world. That if you can organize a group of people to shut down just one coal plant, it will do more than all of the conservation any group of people could do on their own. That what we need to do is realize that coal is a giant persistent and consistent threat.

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