A new study capturing how coal mining transforms land use over time demonstrates the challenges in restoring this land upon mine closure – an important aspect of a just transition as India plans to move away from coal.
Three functional coal mines in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh degraded 35% of the area’s native land cover, the study, conducted by researchers from various institutes, found. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Environmental Science in July.
Coal production and mining is expected to grow till 2040, before being phased down in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. The damaging environmental impacts of coal mining are well known, but repurposing and restoring this land is emerging as the next frontier for the energy transition.
For the rest of this article: https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/coal-mining-degraded-35-of-native-land-cover-in-indias-eastern-coal-belt/