Healthy Energy Initiative Launched Through a Coal Plant Community Visit

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Health Care Without Harm-Asia (HCWH-Asia) recently visited Naga City, Cebu to conduct a preliminary investigation of the health impacts of coal-fired power plants as part of its newest campaign called “Healthy Energy Initative” (HEI).

HEI aims to mobilize the health sector to advocate for cleaner, healthier, and more climate-friendly energy alternatives. Through education, network-building, collaborative research, and advocacy, HEI hopes to raise critical awareness and promote dialogue among health professionals and healthcare organizations about the links between climate change, energy, and human health.

Exploring the nexus between climate, energy, and health

Climate change has been identified as “the biggest global health threat of the 21^st century,” and its health impacts are already felt in different parts of the world – from changing patterns of infectious disease spread to increasing burden of illness and injury due to extreme weather events such as Typhoon Yolanda, which struck central Philippines nearly a year ago.

And while the health sector continues to respond to the health challenges brought about by climate change, little is being done in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating climate change, particularly in the area of energy. For instance, the Philippines currently has 19 existing coal-fired power plants, with 45 already approved for construction and 12 more in the pipeline. The health case for ending our dependence on coal and shifting to renewable energy needs to be heard.

“While for years the Philippine health sector has been engaged in climate adaptation measures, particularly in disaster risk reduction and response, it also has to speak up for climate mitigation, specifically for a shift to healthy renewable energy,” says HEI campaigner Dr. Renzo Guinto.

“The Philippines’ contribution to carbon dioxide emissions may be negligible as compared to that of developed countries, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for climate inaction. We cannot be begging for health assistance after every disaster but continue building coal-fired power plants,” Guinto adds.

Health effects of coal power plants

The visit to Naga City is part of HEI’s initial mapping activities that will inform the campaign’s strategy and activities for the coming months. For nearly a decade, Naga City has been a major battleground for the anti-coal and pro-renewable energy movement. Although the old coal-fired power plant owned by National Power Corporation and Salcon Power Corporation has already closed, another plant, which was built out of a joint venture between the Korean Electric Power Corporation and Salcon Power Corporation (KSPC), has been operating since 2011. While the KSPC plant boasts of utilizing ‘clean coal technology,’ it continues to be mired with issues pertaining to social acceptability, environmental impacts, and health effects. Moreover, in 2012, the Asian Development Bank was later found to have violated its own rules when, without proper public consultation and adequate environmental impact assessment, it gave a $ 120 million loan to the KSPC for the plant’s construction.

In terms of health impacts, when the old plant was still operating and the KSPC was under construction in 2009, an environmental health assessment that was conducted revealed the presence of significant amounts of arsenic, cadmium and mercury in coal ash dumpsites. These heavy metals are known to have grave health effects in the long term, including certain types of cancers and neurological disorders.

During the visit, the HEI team was able to meet several local residents who shared about their personal experience, including the dire environmental conditions and lack of economic opportunities in their relocation site, as well as the difficulty of organizing community members due to bribery and intimidation. Staff of one of the barangay health centers also expressed the need for more rigorous health assessments in order to ascertain the direct links between the community’s present health status and the KSPC power plant.

Nonetheless, the indirect effects on the social and environmental determinants of health have been observed by the community members. For example, during the plant’s construction, residents were forcibly relocated to areas with poor sanitation and infrastructure, and since then have remained unemployed despite the anticipated economic activity due to the presence of a coal power plant.

Healthy energy in the Philippines – the way forward

In the coming months, HEI will be holding a series of activities in order to create a national movement around climate, energy, and health, which includes:

· Conducting roundtable discussions with key stakeholders from within the health sector, such as professional associations and health professions schools, as well as representatives from other sectors such as environment, energy, and sustainable development;

· Development of advocacy and educational materials for the health sector and the general public;

· Forging research collaborations among academic institutions locally and internationally;

· Building a national network of advocates dedicated to the climate, energy, and health nexus, and;

· Supporting climate justice and pro-renewable energy advocates by gathering evidence on the health implications of various energy options.

While HEI is still about to take off in the Philippines, the campaign has already made huge strides in other countries. For example, the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), which is HCWH-Asia’s partner in Australia, has been successful in building consensus around climate change and health within the health community, and is one of the groups instrumental in pushing the Health Employees’ Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA), a retirement fund for healthcare workers, to announce a restriction on all future investments in thermal coal.

In addition, early this November, India’s National Green Tribunal overturned an environmental clearance for a proposed 3,600-megawatt coal-fired power plant, after local villagers filed an appeal citing concerns about air and water pollution as well as questioning the reliability of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Other countries such as South Africa and China also have conducted dialogues within the health sector about the health implications of power generation.

“In Health Care Without Harm, we advocate for a health sector that does no further harm on the patients, public and the environment,” states Merci Ferrer, HCWH-Asia Director. “Healthcare facilities and organizations should therefore reduce their carbon footprint, and more so, campaign for bolder commitments and immediate actions for combatting climate change.”

Dr. Renzo Guinto is the Healthy Energy Initiative Campaigner of Health Care Without Harm-Asia