Coal Industry Spokesman “Doesn’t Know” if Burning Coal Cause Global Warming : EcoWonk

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Coal Industry Spokesman “Doesn’t Know” if Burning Coal Cause Global Warming

Posted on: March 5, 2009

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Coal Industry Spokesman “Doesn’t Know” if Burning Coal Cause Global Warming

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In an interview for a tv news segment exploring the myth of “clean” coal, Joe Lucas, the spokesman for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) say he “doesn’t know” if the fossil fuel causing global warming. The Reality Coalition has something else to say:the coal industry puts out more than one third of U.S. CO₂ emissions which is the leading cause of global warming. And they even provide a hint from the EPA: Burning coal is a leading source of global warming pollution. (“GHG Emissions and Sinks 19902006, US EPA 2008). Reality Coalition also points out that ACCCE spent over $10.5 million on energy lobbying.

Transcript:
Still the industry refuses to say its plants contribute to global warming.
[Question:] Can you just answer that yes or no? If you believe that burning coal causes global warming?
[Joe Lucas:] I don’t know, I’m not a scientist.

You don’t have to be a scientist to know that burning coal is a leading source of global warming pollution. (”GHG Emissions and Sinks 1990–2006,” US EPA 2008.)

But it certainly is hard to believe that while the industry has spent $10.5 million on lobbying, their spokesman isn’t better informed.

Watch the whole story.

UPDATE: Remember this gem? Cigarette executives testify before congress in 1994 that they “do not believe nicotine is addictive.” But you can’t blame these guys for their denial of obvious facts — after all, they are also not scientists.

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