“Coal for Christmas: A Gift the World Desperately Needs,” By JASON ISAAC
“These are men, women, and children—just like you and me—living difficult, brutal, and tragically short lives. Energy poverty isn’t just a statistic; it’s a crisis that steals lives and squanders…”
Coal for Christmas: A Gift the World Desperately Needs
DEC 24
This Christmas morning, 750 million people will wake up wishing for coal in their stockings.
That’s how many people around the world live without electricity, and billions more endure woefully sporadic access. These are men, women, and children—just like you and me—living difficult, brutal, and tragically short lives. Energy poverty isn’t just a statistic; it’s a crisis that steals lives and squanders potential.
While it’s trendy in certain circles to hate on fossil fuels—especially coal—affordable, reliable energy is one of the greatest life-saving tools we have. America’s energy industry has the power to alleviate suffering and end global poverty. Under a Trump administration promising to cut the cost of energy and a Department of Energy led by Chris Wright, who understands that the key to ending poverty is ending energy poverty, there is real hope for change.
The Hidden Crisis of Energy Poverty
Energy poverty is one of the most pressing social challenges of our time, yet it’s woefully under-discussed. Headlines focus on cultural debates while millions around the world are denied a chance at basic survival, let alone prosperity.
Affordable, reliable energy saves lives. Without it, life becomes a daily battle against scarcity. It means no clean water systems, no refrigeration for medicines, no lights for children to study by, and no modern medical care. Think beyond the comforts of streaming platforms and smart devices—electricity powers the very foundation of survival and progress.
Consider medieval-sounding diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. While they are virtually eradicated in developed nations, these diseases still kill millions every year in the developing world. Such deaths are preventable with access to modern sanitation systems, powered by reliable electricity. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 600 million people lack electricity, the average adult wouldn’t expect to live past 60—if they survived childhood at all.
America’s Energy: The Key to Progress
America stands at the forefront of solving this crisis. Our abundant energy reserves—oil, natural gas, and coal—are the key to ending energy poverty. Hydrocarbons power the modern world, and America produces them more responsibly than anywhere else on earth.
Energy from fossil fuels, including clean coal and natural gas, is not only affordable but also sustainable. These resources have made America a world leader in economic growth and environmental quality, and they have nearly limitless potential for the developing world. Yet misguided policies have stifled the global use of these resources, leaving millions in the dark.
Dependable coal and natural gas can deliver the steady, affordable energy required for life-saving benefits—sanitation, clean water, refrigeration to store medicines, and safe cooking and heating fuels. While renewable energy sources like wind and solar may sound appealing, their dependence on weather and costly battery storage makes them unreliable and insufficient to meet the needs of billions.
A Better Way Forward
Unreliable electricity from renewables is hardly a step up from no electricity at all. Consider the example of a Colombian village that installed a solar-powered streetlight only to find that the required battery would cost $10,000–$15,000 to replace every decade. This is neither sustainable nor scalable. By contrast, coal and natural gas plants provide consistent, affordable power for decades.
Policies that vilify fossil fuels ignore their life-saving potential. Under the Trump administration, the promise to cut energy costs and embrace American energy offers a brighter future for millions. This is a shift from previous administrations that prioritized climate ideology over practical solutions, leaving the developing world to suffer the consequences.
America’s energy reserves have the power to transform lives. By fostering energy abundance, we can empower communities, enable economic growth, and extend lifespans.
Coal for Christmas: A Lifeline for Millions
As millions yearn for coal this Christmas, it’s time to embrace American energy—from oil and natural gas to coal, yes, coal. You may not want coal in your stocking, but the developing world would be merry indeed to receive it.
Coal isn’t a punishment—it’s a lifeline. It’s the warmth to heat homes, the power to keep vaccines cold, the energy to cook meals safely, and the light to study by. For millions of people waking up in darkness, it’s the key to a brighter, healthier, more prosperous future.
This Christmas, let’s rethink what it means to give coal. It might just be the most meaningful gift of all.
A Christmas Prayer.