A Harvard study indicates over 100,000 premature deaths from coal in China each year. Lung cancer has doubled in China. 600,000 lung cancer deaths each year
About 10,000 mining deaths in the world each year
24,000 lives in the US are shortened each year from coal
Another study of health impacts from coal. Issues of Arsenic and Mercury
Over 200,000 premature deaths from coal every year. Some estimates are over 1,000,000. That is more than the deaths of Hiroshima and Nagasaki every year.
In 2002, The economist magazine called coal environmental enemy number 1
Other reading:
Coal Chernobyl twice a week
Nuclear power is what can scale up the fastest to replace coal. Solar and wind will take a lot longer. Decades longer would mean millions more dead from coal.
We need scale up with thorium liquid fluoride reactors Two were built by the US in the 1960s. It is not hypothetical technology.

Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
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