The charity said the Australian government was reviewing its climate and energy policies so it had the opportunity to implement a plan of action that included no new coal mines in Australia, including Adani’s proposal for the $21.7 billion Carmichael coal and infrastructure project.  

“Burning coal is a public health disaster,” Oxfam said.

“Families living close to dirty coal mines and coal-fired power plants are literally being choked. Worldwide, the air pollution from burning coal is responsible for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and millions of asthma cases.”

Oxfam said the damage caused by coal and climate change had become a matter of survival for families living in the world’s poorest communities. 

“Burning coal remains the single biggest contributor to climate pollution,” it said.

“More intense droughts, floods and tropical cyclones are destroying people’s homes and leaving many families facing food and water shortages. And the world’s poorest people are being hit hardest. 

“In East Africa, almost 11 million people are dangerously hungry due to a catastrophic drought that has been compounded by climate change.”

Unfortunately our well intentioned friends are not fully aware of the global facts about coal and energy poverty.

There are 1.3 billion people across the globe living without access to electricity and there are 2.7 billion people who do not have clean cooking facilities. 

The problem is spread across the developing world, but it is particularly severe in sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia, which together account for 95% of people in energy poverty.

Without a commitment to achieve universal energy access it has been estimated that by 2030, there will be an additional 1.5 million premature deaths per year caused by household pollution from burning wood and dung and through a lack of basic sanitation and healthcare.

The IEA World Energy Outlook 2011 highlights that "coal alone accounts for more than 50% of the total on-grid additions" required to achieve the IEA's Energy for All case. 

“This clearly demonstrates coal's fundamental role in supporting modern base load electricity. Many countries with electricity challenges are also able to access coal resources in an affordable and secure way to fuel the growth in their electricity supply,” it said.

All sources of energy are necessary to meet the huge demand for electricity. Renewable energy will have a particular role in providing off-grid electricity and in meeting peak demand. 

In countries where there are significant coal resources, it is likely to be the preferred fuel for supplying base load, grid-based electricity, according to the World Coal Association.

“Coal plays a critical role in bringing affordable, reliable electricity to hundreds of millions of people in developing and emerging economies, particularly across Asia,” it said.

China is the world’s largest miner and user of coal, and its record on reducing poverty speaks for itself.   

The World Bank estimates that in the past three decades 600 million people have been lifted out of poverty – almost all of those in China.

Remove China from the mix and poverty levels in the rest of the world have barely improved, according to the WCA. 

“The link between access to affordable power from coal, economic growth and prosperity is clear,” it said.

“In China close to 99% of the population is connected to the grid.”

The plight of millions of people without adequate energy around the world is of concern to Hogsback as it is to many charities and NGOs such as Oxfam.  

Let’s hope the role of coal in providing that energy is better understood so that charities can focus their efforts more productively.