ESB referred to OECD over importing coal from north Colombian mine
A charity has submitted a formal complaint about the ESB allegedly breaching its human rights commitments. By Gráinne Ní Aodha Tuesday 19 Jan 2021, 12:38 PM Jan 19th 2021, 12:38 PM 16,965 Views 33 Comments
Two young boys looking at the El Cerrejón coal transportation train in La Guajira, Colombia
Image: Shutterstock/Anamaria Mejia
Image: Shutterstock/Anamaria Mejia
A CHARITY HAS referred the ESB to the OECD over alleged breaches of human rights by importing coal from a mine in northern Colombia.
Christian Aid said that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will begin the process of investigating whether the State-owned ESB has breached its human-rights responsibilities by importing coal from the Cerrejón mine in La Guajira.
Higher demand: A worker excavates anthracite coal from a strip mine in Pennsylvania. Forecasts of rising gas prices in 2021 and 2022 will boost coal demand through next year, though it might not reach 2019 levels. Reuters
A PERFECT storm of freezing temperatures and a supply-led gas price rally has stoked thermal coal demand, with prices at multi-year highs, reminding power suppliers and consumers that its appeal won’t fade in a straight line.
The northern hemisphere weather has highlighted coal’s relative endurance, some 200 years after it was powering the first Industrial Revolution, even as several countries abandon the fuel to decarbonise and meet climate change targets.
As we stumble through the twilight of the Trump era, let us devote a moment to an actual issue. Let us briefly visit Donald Trump s vow to save the coal.