Clean energy transition: 1 million miners could be unemployed by 2050
Due to global plans to close mines and the market's shift toward wind and solar energy sectors—which are cheaper and cleaner energy sources—it has been determined that approximately 1 million miners face the risk of job loss by 2050.
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Data regarding employment at 4,300 active and planned coal mines, which account for 90 percent of global coal production, has been published in the Global Coal Mine Tracker report prepared by the international think tank Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
According to the study, which is described as a first in this scope, 2.7 million miners are directly employed in coal mines currently in operation worldwide.
The coal industry is estimated to lay off approximately half a million people by 2035. This means that an average of 100 workers per day face the risk of being laid off.
Considering the projected mine closures, it is calculated that there will be approximately 1 million job losses by 2050.
While 2.2 million of the total employment in coal mining is located in Asia, it is predicted that employment in China and India will be most affected by the mine closures.
MORE THAN HALF OF PRODUCTION IS IN CHINA
More than 1.5 million miners work in mines in China, which accounts for more than half of the world's coal production. In India, the world's second-largest coal producer, 337,400 miners are employed according to official records.
These two countries are followed by Indonesia with 160,000 miners, Russia with 109,000, and Europe with 90,000, the majority of which are in Poland.
The Indian state-owned company Coal India ranks first among companies with a risk of laying off 73,800 people by 2050.
THERE ARE 12 THOUSAND MINERS IN TURKEY
It is estimated that approximately 12,000 people are employed in mines in Turkey, and 2,000 miners face the risk of being unemployed by 2050.
Dorothy Mei, Project Manager of the GEM Global Coal Mine Tracker, stated in her assessment of the report that the closure of coal mines is inevitable, noting that the economic and social challenges that will arise for workers can be prevented.
Ryan Driskell Tate, Director of the GEM Coal Program, said, "If we want to ensure that the clean energy transition is more than just talk, we must put workers at the top of the agenda. With technologies and markets focused on the energy transition, we need to be proactive about the concerns of coal miners and their communities."