Dr. Paul Epstein was among the first to link bad climates to bad health. I was fortunate enough to meet him as a freshman in college. Bright-eyed and new to university life, I invited him to join a small group of us for dinner in the freshman dining hall. To my great surprise, he accepted and patiently explained a life’s worth of research to a bunch of 18-year-olds. I had no idea at the time about the enormous impact he, his research, and his course Human Health and Global Environmental Change had on the planet.
His latest target: coal.
We estimate that the life cycle effects of coal and the waste stream generated are costing the U.S. public a third to over one-half of a trillion dollars annually.
Accounting for the damages conservatively doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh generated, making wind, solar, and other forms of nonfossil fuel power generation, along with investments in efficiency and electricity conservation methods, economically competitive.
His New York Times obituary captures Dr. Epstein’s impact. Joe Romm adds some color.
