The European Union's biggest coal-mining region is in the midst of a transition away from one of the world's most toxic industries, and with that, is demonstrating how communities can snuff out coal while preserving jobs and the economy, according to Canary Media.
In southern Poland's Silesia province, leaders, labor unions, and economists are guiding a just transition away from coal while coming up with economic and urban solutions to replace it.
The shift comes as Poland ramps up renewable energy, explores geothermal heating, develops nuclear power, and attracts manufacturing and technology businesses. Silesia, which has produced coal for centuries, is now carefully phasing out the industry while keeping livelihoods intact.
An Ember analysis of Europe's methane pollution found that 70% of toxic methane leaks from Europe's operational coal mines came from Poland. In total, Poland's coal mines released about 726,000 tons of methane in 2018, equal to 62.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. Cutting coal use in Silesia, therefore, could deliver outsized benefits for both air quality and the climate.
A recent briefing from the Health and Environment Alliance found that in Poland, "air pollution causes over 40,000 premature deaths and millions of cases of illness every year, particularly among children, the elderly, those with chronic diseases and those facing socio-economic health inequalities."
The same briefing noted that air pollution costs the country 60 billion euros annually.
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While coal employment has declined, the region has added more jobs in other sectors, including electronics, machinery, and the creative industries. Former mines have now become offices, cultural centers, and technology hubs. For residents, that means healthier air, stable work, and communities built for the future instead of the past.
Silesia's leaders are now looking even bigger and have proposed to unite surrounding cities into a connected metropolitan region with shared planning, transit, and investment.
Over the last several years, economist Adam Drobniak has worked with unions, local officials, and national leaders to design a plan that gives coal workers time, financial support, and retraining to move into new careers rather than face sudden job losses.
"We don't know what the name will be," Drobniak told Canary Media, "But this is a must. We must do this. If not, we will be fragmented and separated." The effort reflects a growing belief that a fair transition can deliver healthier lives, stronger economies, and a future beyond coal.
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