Vietnam Blog | VietBlog | What Does Vietnam and West Virginia Have in Common? We Both Export Coal to China!

3 Jun

From Joey Bailey, our resident history and environmental scholar:

One of the first things I do when I arrive in a foreign land is look for an English language magazine or newspaper that discusses the local issues. This trip has been no different.

Here in Vietnam, my curiosity manifest itself in the form of the May 24th issue of The Saigon Times, an English language magazine that covers all things Vietnam. Now, imagine my surprise when I opened the magazine to the Letters to the Editor section only to find a letter titled Why to Export Coal in Great Quantities? written by a man named Nguyen Van Hung from Ho Chi Minh City.

In his letter, Mr. Nguyen points out that the coal resources of Vietnam, located primarily in the Northern Provence of Quang Ninh, are currently being rapidly exploited and exported, some of which is done illegally and with great lose to the local economy and environment. He is quick to criticize the rapid exploitation and exportation of coal, most of which goes to China, and makes a call for the Vietnamese Government and National Assembly to take immediate action to ensure that Vietnam?s coal reserves are properly managed and utilized for the future prosperity of Vietnam.

In concluding his argument, he states that ?it is hoped that the National Assembly as well as the Government will take an interest in the matter and find solutions for exploiting and exporting the country’s coal resources more reasonably.?

So, what does this have to do with West Virginia coal? Well, for starters, great quantities of West Virginia coal are exported every year to China. This coal is then used to fuel the growing economy of one of America’s strongest economic competitors. The main driving force behind this is the growing global demand for cheap and efficient electricity.

Coal, both West Virginian and Vietnamese, is in great demand and is being utilized to meet that global demand. However, this doesn’t happen without economic and environmental consequences. In West Virginia as well as in Vietnam, coal mining is creating significant environmental degradation.

So my question is this, how can the coal industry justify exploiting and exporting coal to China without considering the environmental and economic consequences?

Just like Mr. Nguyen, I feel that it is time for the U.S. and the West Virginia Governments to take action to cease environmentally destructive methods of coal mining, such as mountaintop removal, if that coal is simply being utilized to meet the energy demands of China.

Just like Vietnam, West Virginia needs to be more responsible with the management of its coal resources. We simply cannot tolerate the destruction of our mountains to meet the energy demands of China.

If we do not take care, we will find our environment severely degraded, our economy in a bust, and our future welfare in question. It is time for West Virginians to take action to defend our mountains and our futures by demanding that the coal industry mine coal through responsible methods.