President Obama is taking long-overdue steps to limit emissions from coal power plants. Republicans say they are against such limits for economic reasons. Who’s right? Let’s look at the facts:
The coal industry and their lobbyists funnel millions into GOP campaign coffers (1,2).
Coal, the most carbon-intensive fuel, is the world’s leading source of energy-related CO2 emissions (3). Even if we ignore the long-term damage coal does to the earth’s climate, coal emissions cause health problems that lead to 13,000 U.S. deaths each year (4).
Anyone who denies the scientific consensus on man-made climate change is a liar or a fool. Scientists say, "Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal." (5)
Protecting the environment used to be and still should be a bipartisan issue. Republican Teddy Roosevelt was a founder of the conservation movement, and Richard Nixon signed the Environmental Protection Act. A handful of Republicans are trying to reverse their party’s foolishness (6).
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