❌ MYTH
Reducing the use of fossil fuels and renewable energy production means higher costs for citizens, higher unemployment and slowing down economic growth.
✅ TRUTH:
Every year #WesternBalkans citizens pay up to €8.5 billion for the hidden costs of using coal which include a shortened life expectancy of our citizens, reduced productivity at work, days spent on sick leave and pressure on the health system.
Furthermore, people working in the coal industry need support to transfer to new and healthier jobs being created within a just transition of the energy sector, like biofuels, a sustainable forestry sector, solar energy, or rural tourism.
There is a real chance to increase economic growth, as the example of the European Union shows – the EU has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 25% in the last 30 years while achieving economic growth of 60%.
