Bangladesh Opening Coal Power Plant Near Mangrove Forest
2022-11-11
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1Bangladesh will soon begin burning coal at a large power station near the world's largest mangrove forest.
2The country often experiences power failures and blackouts.
3The government expects the new power factory to increase electric power dependability.
4But, environmentalists say there are cleaner sources of energy the country should use instead of burning coal.
5The station will produce about 1,300 megawatts of power, as much as Bangladesh's largest coal power plant produces.
6The new power station will burn about 4.7 million tons of coal.
7It will release close to 15 million tons of carbon dioxide waste gas each year.
8Carbon dioxide emissions cause the planet to warm.
9About 12,000 tons of coal will be shipped by boat through the mangrove forest, called the Sundarbans, each day.
10Sundarbans means "beautiful forest" in Bengali.
11The coastal area of trees developed over thousands of years.
12The Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers flow through the area, rich with sediment that helps the forest grow.
13Some environmentalists, scientists and people who live in the area worry that pollution from the new factory will damage the Sundarbans ecosystem.
14Bangladesh is home to 168 million people and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
15Because the land is low and flat, it is easily damaged by storms and sea level rise.
16Last month, a major storm killed 24 people and left 10,000 people homeless.
17Bangladesh is one of the lowest-emitting nations in the world.
18Its government says it plans to reduce its total emissions 22 percent by 2030.
19In October, around 80 percent of the country experienced an 8-hour-long blackout when the electric power grid collapsed.
20Such failures, sometimes for as long as 10 hours a day, are especially damaging to industry in the country.
21Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, an energy advisor to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, said the new power plant will help the country deal with its energy problems.
22Bangladesh wants poor nations to receive money to help adapt to the damaging effects of a warmer world.
23A World Bank report estimated that Bangladesh could suffer $570 million in damage each year from climate change-related extreme weather events.
24Bangladesh has two active coal-fueled powered plants.
25Some experts say the country does not need a third.
26They argue that cleaner power sources are available.
27Renewable energy already powers millions of Bangladeshi homes.
28Saleemul Huq is director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, a research organization in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital.
29"Bangladesh has actually got one of the fastest growing solar home systems," he said.
30Wind power, he added, is another technology Bangladesh could use.
31Anu Mohammad is an economist and environmental activist based in Dhaka.
32He suggested natural gas exploration and production as a less pollutive, better choice than coal.
33"The mangrove forests are a natural barrier to the ill effects of climate change," he said, adding: "There are many alternatives to power generation. But there is no alternative to the Sundarbans."
34I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Andrew Smith.
1Bangladesh will soon begin burning coal at a large power station near the world's largest mangrove forest. The country often experiences power failures and blackouts. The government expects the new power factory to increase electric power dependability. 2But, environmentalists say there are cleaner sources of energy the country should use instead of burning coal. 3The station will produce about 1,300 megawatts of power, as much as Bangladesh's largest coal power plant produces. 4The new power station will burn about 4.7 million tons of coal. It will release close to 15 million tons of carbon dioxide waste gas each year. Carbon dioxide emissions cause the planet to warm. 5About 12,000 tons of coal will be shipped by boat through the mangrove forest, called the Sundarbans, each day. 6Sundarbans means "beautiful forest" in Bengali. The coastal area of trees developed over thousands of years. The Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers flow through the area, rich with sediment that helps the forest grow. 7Some environmentalists, scientists and people who live in the area worry that pollution from the new factory will damage the Sundarbans ecosystem. 8Bangladesh is home to 168 million people and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Because the land is low and flat, it is easily damaged by storms and sea level rise. Last month, a major storm killed 24 people and left 10,000 people homeless. 9Bangladesh is one of the lowest-emitting nations in the world. Its government says it plans to reduce its total emissions 22 percent by 2030. 10In October, around 80 percent of the country experienced an 8-hour-long blackout when the electric power grid collapsed. Such failures, sometimes for as long as 10 hours a day, are especially damaging to industry in the country. 11Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, an energy advisor to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, said the new power plant will help the country deal with its energy problems. 12Bangladesh wants poor nations to receive money to help adapt to the damaging effects of a warmer world. A World Bank report estimated that Bangladesh could suffer $570 million in damage each year from climate change-related extreme weather events. 13Other sources of power 14Bangladesh has two active coal-fueled powered plants. Some experts say the country does not need a third. They argue that cleaner power sources are available. 15Renewable energy already powers millions of Bangladeshi homes. 16Saleemul Huq is director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, a research organization in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital. 17"Bangladesh has actually got one of the fastest growing solar home systems," he said. Wind power, he added, is another technology Bangladesh could use. 18Anu Mohammad is an economist and environmental activist based in Dhaka. He suggested natural gas exploration and production as a less pollutive, better choice than coal. 19"The mangrove forests are a natural barrier to the ill effects of climate change," he said, adding: "There are many alternatives to power generation. But there is no alternative to the Sundarbans." 20I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Andrew Smith. 21Julhas Alam, Al-Emrun Garjon, and Sibi Arasu reported this story for the Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 22____________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24mangrove -n. an area of tropical trees that grow with roots above ground and that grow in swamps or shallow water 25blackout -n. a period when all electric power is cut, producing dark conditions at night 26emissions -n. gasses released into the atmosphere 27sediment -n. material, such as dirt and rocks, that settles at the bottom of a liquid or body of water 28grid -n. the network of power lines for the transmission of electricity across a geographical area 29solar -adj. relating to the sun 30ill -adj. harmful or negative 31alternative -n. another choice or option 32_________________________________________________________________ 33We want to hear from you. 34We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.