The faster the province of Alberta, Canada, phases out coal-fired energy generation the better, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Pembina Institute, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, the Lung Association of Alberta and Northwest Territories, and the Asthma Society of Canada. “With an accelerated phase out of coal power between now and 2030, in a stepwise fashion of phasing out a relatively steady generation each year, Alberta could more than double the benefits associated with the previous federal regulation between 2015 and 2035,” the report says.
In November 2015, Alberta announced plans to phase-out pollution from coal-fired power generation, but has not yet released a transition schedule. There are 18 coal-fired generating plants in Alberta, according to the Nov. 2015 Climate Leadership Plan. The report finds that by completing the phase out by 2030, the province could avoid 600 premature deaths, 500 ER visits and hospitalizations, 80,000 asthma episodes, 2 million days of breathing difficulty and reduced activity, and nearly $3 billion in “socio-economic value of health outcomes.”
