Emissions of coal in Southeast Asia by 2030 will cause increasing numbers of deaths associated with pollution, reported in the new report published on Friday. Researchers from Harvard and Greenpeace say that the demand for electricity in Southeast Asia is forecast to increase by 83% between 2011 and 2035 - twice the global average.
"Air pollution in China and India has received much scientific attention," said lead researcher, Harvard University Shannon, Caplets. However, she says that "consequences of the planned expansion of coal in the rest of Southeast and East Asia were studied."
The study revealed that the population growth and urban migration is causing a huge jump in growth for energy. In South-East Asia - in contrast to the USA, Europe, China or India, these demands are covered by coal-fired power station. Implications for the health of the population can be "heavy".
Emissions from coal in the developing countries of Southeast Asia will have a significant and lasting impact on air quality and human health," says Koplitz. The report estimates that about 20 thousand people in the region die annually from the emissions of coal-fired power plants, and this figure will increase to 70 thousand by 2030. The number of power plants in Indonesia, according to forecasts, will grow in 2 times, from 147 to 323. Myanmar is expected 5 times from 3 to 16. In South Korea and Japan will also increase the volume of coal, the report said. According to estimates 100 thousand people die each year from coal-fired power plants in India.
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