Bernie Cohen, emeritus professor of health physics at the University of Pittsburgh, credibly stated that the effects of burning coal “killed” about 50,000 Americans every year. (”Killed” in the sense of excess annual mortality.) He does NOT think that banning the burning of coal is a good idea, because of the EVEN WORSE adverse effects of poverty, both in terms of mortality and standard of living. An excess of 50,000 deaths per year in a population of 300,000,000 corresponds to a decrease in average life span of less than one year.
Cohen makes the point that it is easy to estimate the effects of lowering ones standard of living on mortality and the effects of burning coal. If we stopped burning coal, with no replacement energy, the effect would be a decrease in lifespan of about 20 years, comparable to the beginning of the century. Cohen advocates nuclear energy, but that has been demonized even more than coal.
“nuclear energy - demonized more than coal”
. . Yep; and could you please expound on precise reasons why nuclear energy disasters such as Chernobyl and the more recent Japanese perfect storm of natural disasters coupled with nuclear power reactors should not give one pause?