LETTER: Clean air a worthy goal

Mark Wolfson Henderson

2 years ago

FILE - In this June 1, 2017 file photo, wind turbines, which are part of the Lost Creek Wind Fa ... — FILE – In this June 1, 2017 file photo, wind turbines, which are part of the Lost Creek Wind Farm, stand against the sky at dusk near King City, Mo. A new study out of Harvard finds that ramping up wind power in America would also dial up the nation’s temperatures. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

I can appreciate the financial concerns of recent letter writer Robert Ryan, who is disappointed with Nevada voters favoring renewable energy over coal, admiring how quickly and prolific the Chinese were in constructing coal-fired energy plants.

But I wonder if he considered that coal is the dirtiest fuel. It emits much more greenhouse gas than other sources — hundreds of times more than nuclear, solar and wind.

Regarding the Chinese love of cheap coal plants, I’d like to ask Mr. Ryan: What do the following Chinese cities have in common? Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenyang, Wuhan and Shenzen? They are all among the top 50 in the world with the worst air quality, all with coal as the main source of power. And burning coal is linked with asthma, cancer, lung ailments, neurological issues and other public health issues.

Las Vegas isn’t on that list of Top 100 cities with the worst air. I, for one, would like to keep it that way.