Thanks to over 30,000 people who came together to demand that Canada ban the export of thermal coal, the federal government committed to doing so by the year 2030.

2030 is too far off. Thermal coal is a huge contributor to climate change. If Canada waits until the end of the decade to impose an export ban, we will miss a critical opportunity to reduce emissions and keep warming below 1.5 C.

Two centuries ago, humans began using thermal coal to heat their homes, and today it is used to generate electricity globally. The process of mining, transporting, and burning coal wreaks havoc on the environment, the climate and human health and even the recent IPCC report calls for an end to coal and fossil fuels before they destroy the planet.

Thermal coal is a dirty, outdated and deceptively cheap energy source that is responsible for more than 800,000 premature deaths a year due to air pollution impacts.

Air pollutants from coal plants have also been consistently linked to chronic heart and respiratory disease and a host of acute ailments. Not only that, but thermal coal is a significant source of mercury, a persistent substance that accumulates in aquatic food chains and the bodies of people who consume contaminated fish. During pregnancy, unborn babies exposed to mercury are more likely to experience deficits in mental and physical development as children. Unfortunately, Canada knows how bad thermal coal is but continues to mine and export it to the rest of the world.

Canada needs to take responsibility for the devastating effects that coal exported through Canada will have on communities overseas, and the government’s actions need to be compatible with its promises to combat the climate crisis!

We can’t wait until 2030 – we need to ban thermal coal exports NOW!

Add your name to demand that the federal government ban the export of thermal coal by 2023.