If I were a piece of coal that had just recently been unearthed in China, I would be feeling pretty bad about myself and wishing I could have stayed underground instead of causing all this fuss.
I am linked with three "sins" and there seems to be no way I can talk my way out of them.
The first "sin" I am guilty of is coal mine accidents. Last year, there were 3,639 fatal accidents from coal mining that resulted in a death toll of 6,027. The number is appalling and the most recent devastating incident in Shaanxi Province was commented on by top leaders of the country. All coal mine-related news annoys people because without exception, the immediate question is the number of dead.
The second "sin" I am guilty of is environmental damage. This is an old topic with some new twists and people seem to become more familiar with it every day: the evidence is so convincing and obvious that I can hardly argue about it. As well as sulphur dioxide, combustion by-products and the precursor of acid rain that have damaged the land and reduced the productivity of fields and forests, other pollutants such as mercury and carbon dioxide emissions are also under more scrutiny than before. Some people even put a price tag to the damage at 110 billion yuan (US$13.3 billion) per year.
The third "sin" is something that is even new to myself. People are saying that the aftermath of my exploration has caused further ecological damage and land subsidence, the cost of which is roughly estimated at 73 yuan (US$8.83) per ton based on a National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) report. In Shanxi, the "coal province," it is estimated that the associated damage can account for 18.32 per cent of the entire GDP the province has generated over the past 20 years.
