Post #224

Hold Your Breath [ Cost of Negligence ] 🌟China proves it: coal is the foundation for the industrialization of any country. At the same time, coal saturates the air with a whole range of toxic substances that penetrate the lungs, heart, and brain. ➡️ In the coal belt of Mpumalanga in South Africa, people wake up to an atmosphere reminiscent of the the 1952 London smog. Small towns are surrounded by coal mines and power plants, and on some days, it is impossible to see more than a few meters in front of you. In this region, children slide down piles of coal instead of sand, and asthma is so common that having it means you are, on average, healthy. ➡️Coal mining in Mpumalanga provides energy to a dense cluster of power stations producing most of South Africa's electricity. Locals get two sets of problems for the price of one: endless dust from mining plus sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from power plants that operate day and night. ➡️ However, the residents of nearby villages and towns depend heavily on the very coal that poisons them: “We are surrounded by coalmines, so if the coalmines close down there won’t be any jobs” ➡️The situation is so dire that even the courts have ruled that pollution in this region violates residents' constitutional rights. However, for economic reasons some power plants are now even exempt from the leagl emission limits. #CostOfNegligence Devils Below