Managing Coal Mine Closure : Achieving a Just Transition for All
Over the last half century, large-scale changes to coal industries across Europe, and more recently in the United States and China, have resulted in as many as 4 million coal workers losing their jobs. The main drivers of these changes are mine mec...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/484541544643269894/Managing-Coal-Mine-Closure-Achieving-a-Just-Transition-for-All http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31020 |
| Summary: | Over the last half century, large-scale
changes to coal industries across Europe, and more recently
in the United States and China, have resulted in as many as
4 million coal workers losing their jobs. The main drivers
of these changes are mine mechanization, government policies
and competition from other fuels in downstream energy demand
markets. At present, economies in Asia, Eastern Europe, and
Africa face these same drivers of change, with large job
losses already taking place in China, and with other large
coal producing countries in Asia likely to follow. Lessons
drawn from the experiences of the Russian Federation
(Russia), Ukraine, Poland, and Romania from 1994 to 2012,
complemented by data on impacts of coal industry adjustment
in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States,
and China, show that job losses not only take place as the
industry contracts but even if production is increasing. The
mitigation of social conflict and economic distress are of
grave concern as globally the coal industry enters a new era
of downsizing. The objective of this report is to share
with governments lessons learned regardingcoal mine closure.
Indeed, the full set of coal mine closure issues is diverse
with few positive case studies to date to draw on. The
complexity of technical issues and vested interests along
with the myriad of potential risks which may unfold will
require combining time-tested and new approaches, and
applying a broad array of skills. In this issues paper, we
have sought to identifylessons from the past that can guide
policy makers for more successful future mine closures. Nine
lessons learned are presented for government consideration,
drawn from three sets of literature. First, analysis from
coal industry adjustment and downsizing experiences in
Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Romania from 1994 to 2012 where
interventions ranged from preparatory diagnosticand
technical studies to planning and financing of eventual
closure programs. Second, observations and insights on
impacts from coal industry adjustment in the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, the United States, and China. Third,
evidence-based interventions that have helped to mitigate
potential negative social and labor impacts from mass job
losses in other industries. |
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