The Global Coal Mine Tracker notes there are 4,300 working coal mines today accounting for 95% of what is burned for energy. The over 9,000 coal-fired thermal power plants produce 40% of the CO2 emitted annually into the atmosphere. Combine that with coal burned to make cement, steel, and aluminum and you have an environmental problem that doesn't have an easy short-term fix. Burning coal and other fossil fuels is responsible for 1 in 5 global deaths annually.
The Alliance for Sustainable Coal, however, in a rebranding exercise has produced Coal Hard Facts to sell us on why coal is good for the planet and why it needs to be part of the solution to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.Â
If the world moves away from burning coal, that doesn't mean the end of the industry. There is an argument to be made for continuing to mine coal and the tailings from the activity to harvest valuable resources to chart its future use in the 21st century.Â