Dear Editor,

Your recent editorial entitled ‘America’s clean power plan a good start to tackle climate change’ should be directed at the Jamaican Government. There has been lot of talk about this subject globally. The president of the largest economy and most powerful country on Earth has addressed this issue repeatedly, along with the spiritual leader of billions of Catholics around the world, Pope Francis.

President Obama has led by example in promoting renewable energy whenever he can, and is taking concrete steps in tackling climate change in his own country. But how could the Jamaican Government even talk about climate change when not too long ago they, in partnership with JAMALCO, proudly announced plans to build a US$500-million coal-fired plant in the country? This amounts to hypocrisy and doubletalk. It is well-documented that the burning of coal is the main cause of greenhouse gas with is directly associated with climate change.

Over the years, many writers, including myself, have pointed out incessantly the dangers of burning coal. In addition, coal-fired plants in the US have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in fines for thousands of plant violations. All across the US and Canada coal-fired plants are being phased out. Not too long ago, Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs bought about a dozen or so coal- fired plants for investment purposes and had to sell them at a loss.

So how much more evidence does the Government of Jamaica really need that burning coal shouldn’t be the way forward? It is quite obvious China is only interested in building coal-fired plants on the island; even though they’re the world’s largest producer of solar panels, and is also scaling down coal- fired plants in their own country in favour of renewable energy. So the Government should approach Germany the superpower of renewable energy and ask them to partner with a local business in building such a plant in Jamaica.

Noel Mitchell

Westchester, New York

nlmworld@yahoo.com