I was reading in the Economist about coal mining accidents in portions of Latin America. In Colombia, an explosion in a "rudimentary coal mine" killed 32 miners. Only days later, another explosion killed eight miners. We all know that in other parts of the world, like China, there have been numerous mining accidents. We have had some recently in the U.S., as well, but our mines are still considerably safer than those in other, less-developed nations. If the various nations in the world increasingly want to rely on cheap coal to satisfy power needs, we can expect more mining disasters like these. The problem with fossil fuels, like coal, is that there are bound to be cut corners in nations that need electricity now. The powers that be in some of these less-developed nations are going to look the other way when there are safety issues, even when mining in and of itself is a verty risky job. By doing business with these nations, we are in a sense, closing our eyes to human rights violations, as workers are going to be pressured to work in treacherous mines, like that in Colombia. If we don't encourage the use of alternative energy, how are other nations going to have the incentive to follow suit? If we stick with antiquated energy sources, how will other nations move away from these cheap power sources?