Just Transition Fund’s Post

The Energy Communities IWG’s Getting Started Guide supports communities affected by coal transitions. With a step-by-step approach and resources for accessing federal funding, this tool is vital for planning and responding to economic and social changes. Empower your community with the strategies you need for a successful transition. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eVRiAYfh

Dear Coal Australia, I just got a drink from the machines at the Eraring PS canteen and picked up a copy of The Coalface to read this headline. Bravo! About bloody time. I applaud your efforts and write as a supporter. But those I love I treat the most harshly. I understand that it is important in PR to push the correct buttons, to frame your arguments in ways most likely to find favour, exploiting existing concepts that are feelgood and positive and which might smooth way for your message. So yes I see that coal has contributed to “communities” and the communities are “proud” of their heritage etc. I am writing just to place a stick in the sand and point out some strategic disadvantages of taking this approach. To argue that a particular industry is valuable because it “contributes to a community” is an argument typical of a central planner. Who believes that economies can be planned and managed by an elite of macro-economists. It’s Marxism in disguise. Here’s a thought. Even if an industry contributed absolutely nothing to anyone’s community or pride, but was nevertheless an enterprise conceived and executed by a citizen of a nation, where they asked no one to protect them from the associated risks, but who rather embarked upon it as an individual adventure, win lose or draw, would that not be the most valuable thing in a nation’s culture? Is it not THOSE people above all who are supporting everyone? After the fact, the successful ones, learn a bit of PR and leverage all those ideas, sponsoring the kids sporting facility and paying their ransom to the socialist media and government. But the essential thing is they took a risk and tried to build something. For that reason alone, industry should be lauded, protected, and every other consideration in a nation’s legal system should be arranged to enable them to do the best they can. We live in a world where more than 50% of the population are merely parasites, hanging off the jugular vein of the entrepreneur, dragging them back by the ankle with taxation and criticism. I realise you have to do what you have to do. But I hope that at the end of the day we can all see the ultimate goal is where a citizen of Australia can do whatever the hell they want to do, so long as it doesn’t negatively impact anyone else.

What if I tell you there's an alternative to coal that doesn't harm the environment, as a matter of fact, is more efficient than coal because of its calorific value and per ton of this alternative saves 80 trees from being cut down? How will it be?

Families are struggling to pay their bills, as coal plants stay online, driving up energy prices. 📈 Despite the harm to communities, PJM keeps these old, polluting plants running to meet growing demand, hitting low-income neighborhoods hardest. 😣 Coal plants cause serious health problems like cancer and birth complications, costing billions in healthcare. 🏥 People living near these plants are paying with their health and higher bills, all while the system keeps benefiting big power companies. 🙅♂️ We need real change. Instead of sticking with old coal, PJM should invest in cleaner, cheaper energy solutions like battery storage and renewables. ♻️🔋 Appalachians deserve affordable, healthy energy, and it’s time for leaders to make it happen. ✍ Follow for more Climate Justice News: https://buff.ly/3YTwXSi #justice #action #localizedclimateaction #energytransition #energyjustice #equitableenergy #dignifiedlife #fairness #energyburden #energyinsecurity #renewableenergy #solarenergy #climatechange #technology #innovation

A landmark moment this last week, as the UK's final coal fired power station receives its last shipment ahead of closure on the 30th Sept. After this point the UK power grid will be coal free. Living in Nottingham for about 20 years, Ratcliffe on Soar and its condensate plumes have felt like a permanent fixture on the skyline. The plant has been responsible for 100's of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gasses. In the 1900's coal accounted for 95% of the UKs power and fueled our industrial revolution. However over the last 50 years Radcliffe has been the focus of intense activism and protest, from the miners strikes in the 80s to climate protest in the 2000s. Both protests were notorious for heavy handed policing and high stakes on both sides. The closure is certainly a moment to celebrate, but also I hope, a moment to reflect on the awful social, environmental and eventual economic damage caused by coal, once seen as an almost limitless fuel, free to extract from below our feet. While coal certainly super charged economic growth, we were borrowing from nature, who should *ALWAYS* be seen, and priced, as the lender of last resort. https://lnkd.in/eCmqwpPV

Energy affordability affects industry and individual prosperity across a broad range of areas This is quite a problem. We need Energy Tech that works and is affordable. Where do we order more scientists & engineers and less celebrities & politicians?

Across the United States, coal plants are operating at a financial loss. These uneconomic facilities are costing ratepayers money — and harming their health. The pollutants emitted by uneconomically operating coal plants lead to serious health consequences, such as worsening asthma symptoms and heart conditions, especially for densely populated communities nearby. Costs for medical visits, sick time, medications, and other healthcare needs go up, too. If coal plants were used only when they were the cheapest available resource to meet electricity demand, communities could see improvements in public health and their quality of life, along with reduced healthcare costs. By shifting to economic dispatch practices, utilities can significantly cut emissions, improve air quality, and lessen the strain on healthcare systems. https://bit.ly/42k1DPZ

When you burn charcoal in your grill at home, ash is leftover. The same is true for coal-fired power plants, which produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash every year. More than half of that waste ends up in ponds, lakes, landfills, and other sites where, over time, it can contaminate waterways and drinking water supplies. Union of Concerned Scientists (2019. July 9). Coal Power Impacts. https://lnkd.in/djdhqA9M #UJDP #EnvironmentalJustice #PublicJustice #ClimateJustice #AirQuality

🌍 The Unseen Impact of a 60-Year-Old Fire: Centralia, PA 🔥 Did you know that a small town in Pennsylvania, Centralia, has been burning underground since 1962? What started as a seemingly simple trash fire ignited an underground coal seam, leading to an environmental disaster that continues to this day. Over the past 60 years, this fire has hollowed out the land beneath the town, forcing nearly all residents to abandon their homes. And the most shocking part? This fire is expected to keep burning for another 250 years. I estimate that by the time this fire finally burns out, it could produce 35.75 million tons of CO2 emissions. To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to the emissions produced by a typical coal-fired power plant running continuously for over 16 years. Centralia's story is a powerful reminder of the long-term impacts of industrial activity on our environment. It's a call to action for all of us—whether in energy, environmental sciences, or any industry—to think about the legacy we leave behind. What lessons can we learn from Centralia? How can we innovate to prevent future environmental disasters? Let's use this story as a catalyst for change. #Sustainability #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalImpact #Energy #CO2Emissions #Innovation #Centralia #GreenEnergy