Biggest Coal Company, PR Firm Pair Up To Promote Coal For Poor People

"WASHINGTON -– Peabody Energy Corp., the world's largest private-sector coal company, launched a public relations and advertising campaign last month extolling the virtues of coal energy for poor people.

A Peabody press release announcing the campaign, called Advanced Energy for Life, argues that lack of access to energy is 'the world's number one human and environmental crisis.'

To enter the campaign website, readers encounter a drop-in screen that asks them to agree or disagree with the statement, 'Access to low-cost energy improves our lives.' The site notes that there are 3.5 billion people in the world 'without adequate energy' -- 1.2 billion of them children. A video titled 'Energy Poverty' features babies and small children, with text that implores, 'We can solve this crisis.' It adds: 'Affordable energy leads to better health.'"

Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post March 27, 2014.