Coal Mining Threatens the Existence of 11,9mn Hectares of Forest
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
An aerial shot of a coal mining area in the middle of a forest in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. ANTARA/Dedhez Anggara
TEMPO.CO, Paris - A new report released during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris has revealed a list of forested areas that are threatened by coal mining - with Indonesia, Canada, Australia, Colombia and the United States topping the list.
The report, titled 'Double Jeopardy: Coal's Threat to Forests', which was released by Fern - a non-governmental organisation that deals with forestry issues - was made available to the public on Thursday, December 3.
The findings were juxtaposed with actual maps depicting forested areas that have been destroyed by coal-mining activities. According to the report, coal-related activities destroy forested areas in more ways than one - mining releases carbon compounds that bind with clouds, which then falls as acid rain that wreaks havoc on foliage. "At least 11,9 million hectares of forests are at risk of defoliation from acid rain," said Saskia Ozinga, Fern's campaigner in Paris.
Fern has asked all negotiators to put an end on coal-mining, as well as to ban the construction of new coal-fired power plants, to keep global emissions low and to save the world's remaining forests.
