Exalted Valleys and Low Mountains

In Old Testament scripture there is a passage about preparing the way for one who is to come, exalting valleys and making mountains low.  These are, for some, stirring lines that provided lyrics for a section of Handel's Messiah.  The passage has an aura of excitement, optimism and hope, lifting the reader out of the dreary and dull.  This is a role for all things inspirational, supporting the promotion of health in important ways.

In my part of the world there is a battle of mountains and valleys going on in the coal regions of Appalachia.  It is anything but inspirational.  I'm talking about mountain top removal as a method of extracting coal from the earth.  The method essentially cuts off the top section of those mountains with substantial coal reserves, leaving a flat top barren of topsoil, trees, and wild life. The refuse material, including dirt and plant material is simply pushed over the side, covering the bottom of valleys and filling in creeks and streams.  In addition to stealing the natural beauty of the region, the process pollutes the water sources of the nearby communities.  Instead of preparing for something which will make life better, this process leaves behind despair and ugly landscape scars. Below are some pictures of the aftermath of mountain top removal.  The sources are earthclub.wordpress.com and mountainroadshow.com.

 

   
The local people are ambivalent about what is happening to their domain.  The coal companies provide jobs where none others exist.  Coal mining has been a part of these communities for generations, and yet the health status and standard of living have been stuck on the bottom. They certainly don't like poison in their drinking water and their houses being shaken from the blasting of the coal deposits.  The coal companies give back just enough to keep a workforce, but otherwise only care about taking the coal until it is gone.  These are companies and managers people find easy to despise, though I'm sure they view themselves as just trying to run a business.

If we respected the land and the people who live in Appalachia, and cut our use of coal for generating electricity, the region would have even more desperate poverty.  Less coal would mean less air pollution and less release of greenhouse gases, perhaps slowing down the process of climate change.  Unfortunately, until new technology is perfected and proliferates, the only replacement for power generation in most parts of the country is nuclear energy.  As of now, the public is afraid of  the potential risk.  Perhaps that needs to change.

Conservation can help, but the lead time for substantially decreasing power use by consumers and industries is measured in decades.. We are hooked on cheap electricity.  By national standards, Kentucky has very low electricity rates; by international standards, the U.S.also has low rates, for example, compared to most European countries.  A higher price would accelerate the drive for conservation, like it has done in Europe, but consumers are resistant of anything, such as carbon credits, which might lead to price increases for electricity, and products which depend on it.

Perhaps to most people, this is yesterday's news.  I think it does illustrate the contrast between market-based solutions and maximum individual autonomy versus community agreement and solutions.  Like all health promotion, there is a community policy component to the issue of energy production and consumption.  I think we make more progress with such complex issues if we come together for long term solutions rather than putting premium value on the freedom to be a lone ranger.  United we stand is a great idea.  What if we actually tried it?