A Costly Diagnosis

This report by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and partners examines the health and economic costs of coal-fired electricity generation in Alberta. It details the pollutants emitted by coal plants, their specific impacts on vulnerable populations, and uses multiple modeling approaches to estimate the resulting premature deaths, illnesses, and societal costs. The report argues that the true cost of coal power is not reflected in market prices, effectively subsidizing coal at the expense of public health.

• Alberta's electricity system is the most greenhouse gas (GHG) intensive in Canada, with coal generating 64 per cent of the province's electricity in 2012.
• Coal-fired power plants in Alberta are significant sources of various air pollutants; in 2011, they emitted 33 per cent of the province's sulphur dioxide, 10 per cent of nitrogen oxides, 6 per cent of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 44 per cent of mercury from man-made sources.
• The Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) model estimates that long-term exposure to air pollution from Alberta's coal plants contributes to more than 100 premature deaths annually, with a total of 3,085 estimated deaths between 2008 and 2031.
• Air pollution from coal plants is estimated to cause over 4,800 asthma symptom days annually, which are days when sufferers must miss work or school.
• The ICAP model estimates annual economic damages in Alberta from the health impacts of coal-fired power plants at approximately $300 million, or 0.7 ¢/kWh.
• When combining health risks and the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions, the total social cost of burning coal for electricity in Alberta is estimated at a minimum of 3.6 to 5.0 ¢/kWh, and potentially as high as 13.7 ¢/kWh.
• The report identifies specific risks for vulnerable groups: fetuses and newborns are susceptible to mercury-related cognitive losses; children face irreversible lung damage from PM2.5; and the elderly are most susceptible to premature mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.
• First Nations and other populations relying on subsistence fishing are at high risk from methylmercury; for example, walleye and northern pike in Lac La Nonne have mercury concentrations well above recommended levels for subsistence consumers.
• Federal regulations allow most existing coal plants in Alberta to operate until their 50th year of operation, meaning some units could continue operating into the 2060s unless provincial policies accelerate the phase-out.
• The report concludes that the current electricity market fails to internalize health and environmental costs, creating a market disadvantage for renewable energy and effectively subsidizing coal power.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2013). A Costly Diagnosis. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/A-Costly-Diagnosis-2013-Pembina-CAPE-Lung-Asthma-report.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A Costly Diagnosis. 2013. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/A-Costly-Diagnosis-2013-Pembina-CAPE-Lung-Asthma-report.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=A Costly Diagnosis |date=March 2013 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/A-Costly-Diagnosis-2013-Pembina-CAPE-Lung-Asthma-report.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2013costly, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{A Costly Diagnosis}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/A-Costly-Diagnosis-2013-Pembina-CAPE-Lung-Asthma-report.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }