Turkey mine explosion

[bakubo]

I returned to Japan a few days ago after my close to 4 weeks of travel in Turkey and I am working on the photos now. It was my first time there and I found Turkey very interesting with warm, wonderful people. I hope to visit again someday. You have probably heard the news of the big coal mine explosion there that killed and injured so many.

Turkey mine disaster: grief turns to rage as hopes of finding survivors fade

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... ivors-fade

This morning on NHK TV news they said the death toll was now up to 245. Sad news.

[Greg Beetham]

Every day there seems to be yet more bodies, the ventilation system was cut off by the explosion and fire. Coal mining in Turkey seems to be labour intensive and there are a lot of accidents each year in the mines according to the article below.
Greg
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/n ... oblem.html

[bakubo]

Greg, interesting article. Thanks.

“Today, I can see people asking, ‘Why do we need coal?’” said Gürbüz, the renewable-energy expert. “But the main problem—and this isn’t only for Turkey—is the relationship between electricity and the way it’s generated. Everybody’s angry when they see pictures of nature being destroyed, but they don’t see the correlation, the relationship between the electricity they consume in their houses and coal mines. This is not just in Turkey, this is everywhere.”

I see this attitude all the time too. Even by people who drive or want to drive electric cars. They may very well be net a positive thing, but I have heard people talk about how they have 0% pollution as if the electricity they use is some sort of magic energy that doesn't have to be produced by coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, solar, or whatever. All of those things have environmental impacts when you consider the full chain from getting all the raw materials to make the car (and the equipment needed to make the car and so on) to the full chain involved in the production of the electricity.