Research investigator Michael Hendryx studies mountaintop removal, an explosive type of surface coal mining used in Appalachia that comes with unexpected health hazards. In this data-packed talk, Hendryx presents his research and tells the story of the pushback he's received from the coal industry, advocating for the ethical obligation scientists have to speak the truth.
Check out more TED Talks:
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.
Follow TED on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:
Subscribe to our channel:
*Bro*
GREAT COMMENT DUMBASS
Commenting before watching the video
shiva dhanush doofus
#MountainLivesMatter
IDK, seems like they are killing themselves with their work….get outta the mountains and come to the city like the normies
Prevail you will!
“Clean” coal
I don’t know when our species is going to get it together and realize that, if we continue like this, we’re going to wipe ourselves out
Lemonducky most already know. The problem is greed. We have people in power who will work against their best interest and those of their citizens as long as they’re getting money from lobby groups.
But how else are Americans’ grandchildren going to dig up the cutting-edge energy source of the future: Coal!
Love this. All my family is from mining areas and some are miners. Health issues are abound. I live downwind from that stuff and have many related health issues miners do and I’d never do that work. Amazing video. Downloading this one to keep.
Great TED talk!
I’m learning all about coal mining and mountaintop removal in school
The sad war of ideology and rationality is still ongoing, although some people are brave enough to use the relative definition of a “modern, civilized society”.
We need to fight ideology to the end and never forget that it was always a primitive, temporal tool to begin with.
but we need coal for Trumps Christmas stocking.
1,200 a year for 3% energy a year…hmm so that means per death 32,728,838,684 calories are extracted from coal. Exactly the equivalent to 8,133,409,215 Pecan Pies. Hmm…Would I be willing to kill a person for 8.1 billion pies…..is probably a question to be left unanswered.
My math, 87.5 quadrillion Btu = US energy consumption
17.8% is energy produced by coal in USA
Equals 129 791 670 000 btu
129 791 670 000 btu = 32,728,838,684 calories
4024 calories in a Pecan Pie
32,728,838,684 calories per life / 4024 calories per pecan pie = 8,133,409,215
How is calories-per-life even an apt comparison here? What a bizarre economy of exchange.
blue_tetris That was EXACTLY the point.
blue_tetris Lol its not, I just wanted to convert human life to pie.
Ahh Pecan Pie with its sweet nuttiness that doth bringeth me happiness.
Who else felt the bottom of their stomach drop out when this information hit home?
It’s kind of funny that liberals pretend that non-whites have it bad and cry racism whenever poor whites want a president that cares about them. Liberals should be forced to live in southern West Virginia. The only thing that is worse in inner cities is the insane crime rate, which is the people’s fault. Appalachian folks have trouble just getting employed (whereas liberals find it an atrocity that non-whites aren’t CEO’s), not to mention they have poor medical care, less government aid, and have polluted air and water.
Gideon Johnston there’s plenty of ways your government could help you, that’s not giving you a job destroying your health, along with everyone else’s and the planet. Problem is they don’t want to spend that sort of money, and they don’t really care about you like was said. Just your vote. You guys are screaming out for help, I get it. I live in a rural area too in Wales, we where basically a nation of miners 40 years ago. But sending people back to the mines is not the answer. Look up the welsh miner strike, to see how brutally they where treated by the government over here.
How the heck is this relevant here? The way you threw “appalachian” in there almost suggests that you are quite aware how OT this is.
This is precisely the opposite of politicians caring about poor white Appalachians.
As you said “they have poor medical care, less government aid, and have polluted air and water.” Guess where that pollution is coming from.
Gideon Johnston You are not the only one hurting and neither are the poor folks in Virginia. I have more than enough space in my mind and heart and action to care about black lives And Virginian lives. At least all those liberals did not vote to seriously endanger our entire existence
So many inaccurate statements… Oh, and by the way your president doesn’t care about you!
Not that surprising when the majority of the US citizens believe that the earth is flat.
Lumian Go away, troll, you bother me.
America
I can see reading this guy is missing in a few years by uncovering this. Can’t wait for the documentary on Netflix.
Good talk, I had no idea mountaintop removal was even a thing.