The World

The Human Costs of Coal and Oil

One year ago this month twin disasters struck America’s energy producing regions. Forty men died in West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch Coal Mine and on the Deepwater Horizon oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico. Family members share their stories of loved ones lost, and reveal the price of energy that doesn’t show up on ledger sheets.

This month brings the anniversaries of disasters that struck America’s coal and oil producing regions. Together, the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion in West Virginia, and the Deepwater Horizon explosion off the Louisiana coast took 40 lives. Living on Earth’s Jeff Young talks with two people who lost loved ones and discovers a hidden cost of energy.