Coal, Climate and Environmental Backlash

Speaker: 
Nick Mullins
 
19 Feb 2018
 
8:00 PM
 
Great Hall, Memorial Union

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Nick Mullins is a former fifth generation coal miner from Appalachia seeking to better educate audiences about Appalachia's jobs-versus-environment dichotomy. An energy transition advocate and author of the blog The Thoughtful Coal Miner, Mullins hopes to inspire deeper conversations on the relationship between activists, corporate interests, and rural working-class communities and help audiences understand the political motivations of mining communities. His presentation looks at community reactions to both environmental activism against surface mining practices and the coal industry’s response through public relations campaigns and the “War on Coal” rhetoric. University Symposium on Sustainability Keynote and part of the National Affairs Series

The Symposium on Sustainability will host a poster display and reception prior to the lecture, 7-8pm, in the South Ballroom.

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[b]More about The Thoughtful Coal Miner blog:[/b] [url=https://thethoughtfulcoalminer.com/about/]About the blog[/url] [b]Sample posts[/b] [url=https://thethoughtfulcoalminer.com/2017/09/05/coal-miners-are-good-people-2/]Coal Miners Are Good People[/url] | Sept 5, 2017 "Most of the guys I worked with in the mines were damn good people, even some of the foremen. They were hard workers and most had families that loved them, families they’d do anything for. Few people in our nation sacrifice as much to provide for their families as do coal miners. . . . Miners know the risks they face, and many would gladly exchange them for a different job. At the end of the day, coal mining remains the only work in the region capable of feeding, clothing, and sheltering their family." [url=https://thethoughtfulcoalminer.com/2017/09/19/this-former-coal-miners-perspective-on-climate-change/]This Former Coal Miner’s Perspective on Climate Change[/url] | Sept 19, 2017 "When it comes to climate change, people rationalize their opinions based on how it affects them. For those of us in Appalachia, the way climate change is affecting us is almost always perceived through the 'War on Coal.'"