Every unprofitable coal mine in the European Union must cease production by the first day of 2019, the date on which all public funds for the mines will come to an end. In Spain, that means that 26 coal mines are about to close up shop, according to Reuters.
This move away from coal is a refreshing bit of bluntness — letting the failed remnants of a fossil fuel industry fade away — compared to how the federal government in the U.S. is grasping at anything to keep coal alive. But it remains to be seen how much of an impact the coal closures will have in the ongoing effort to curb climate change.
The deadline was set back in 2010 as the EU sought to move away from fossil fuel dependence, according to Telesur. The EU wanted to end public aid to coal mines sooner, but groups from Germany — which shuttered its last coal mine earlier this month — and Spain are responsible for extending the deadline all the way to the end of 2018.
Spain has already decreased the portion of its electricity generated by coal down to about 14 percent, according to United Press International. And 90 percent of the coal burned in Spain is imported from Russia and Colombia anyway.
aqsgames on January 1st, 2019 at 10:40 UTC »
Crap headline. They are not “banned”, they are stopping subsidies to unprofitable mines. Not the same thing
UrielSVK on January 1st, 2019 at 06:57 UTC »
Nope, slovakia here, we are not closing our very unprofitable coal mines, they are running at least to 2023
yew420 on January 1st, 2019 at 05:56 UTC »
Don’t worry guys Australia will pick up the slack, we’re opening new mines and giving tax payer funds to foreign private companies like Adani to help them do it