Coal: New Film Shows How Bad It Is For Your Health

Is America in an unhealthy relationship with coal? Without someone's help, it can be difficult to objectively assess a relationship that you are in and decide whether to continue. Consider then From the Ashes, a new documentary film premiering on the National Geographic channel this Sunday (June 25 at 9 pm ET), a relationship counselor. The film looks closely at what the coal industry means to your health whether you're in a same town or long-distance relationship with coal. Because ultimately every relationship choice is a health decision: does being with your partner make you more or less healthy emotionally and physically?

Reading a description of the film is not the same as watching it. With lots of compelling interviews, tragic stories, and dramatic imagery, the well-done film is not just a needed counselor but also a wonderful storyteller that may make you feel sick. As Antha Williams, Head of Environmental Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies and Consulting Producer for From the Ashes described to me, "the film is Bloomberg Philanthropies' first feature film and is aligned with the work that we have done since 2011." She related how billionaire philanthropist Mike Bloomberg became interested in pollution and its substantial impact on health during his terms as Mayor of New York City. As Mayor, Bloomberg installed a number of initiatives to reduce emissions and make NYC more "green". However, it soon became clear to him and Bloomberg Philanthropies that the coal industry was contributing to a large percentage of the pollution in the City and the world. After all, NYC doesn't live inside a bubble, regardless of what some may claim. Bloomberg is now the United Nations Secretary-General’s first Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.

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