Friday 22 July 2011

Bloomberg grants $50m to anti-coal campaign

Bloomberg grants $50m to anti-coal campaign

American billionaire entrepreneur Michael Bloomberg has donated $50 million to a campaign to cut out coal power stations in the States.The New York City Mayor's charity group, Bloomberg Philanthropies, has given the money to the Beyond Coal Campaign.

Coal makes up over a fifth of the Unites States' energy supply, according to the International Energy Agency's figures for 2008.Grassroots environmental group The Sierra Club set up the campaign toreplace the USA's coal stations with cleaner energy sources and cut30% of coal production by 2020.

Mayor Bloomberg said: "If we are going to get serious about reducing our carbon footprint in the United States, we have to get serious about coal. Ending coal power production is the right thing to do, because, while it may seem to be an inexpensive energy source, the impact on our environment and the impact on public health is significant."

The Sierra Club's Executive Director Michael Brune called Bloomberg's grant a "game changer" in the fight against coal.The $50 million grant will fill a significant portion of the campaign's projected $150 million four-year budget.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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