Coal and Sustainable Development

What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable development is often defined as 'development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

Sustainable development encompasses three basic and inter-related objectives:

• economic security and prosperity
  
• social development and advancement
  
• environmental sustainability
  

The Role of Coal in Sustainable Development

Minerals-based industrial materials and the provision of adequate, reliable and affordable energy are essential to meeting the needs and aspirations of people in both developed and developing countries.  Access to energy remains a critical development need, particularly for the one-third of the world’s population without electricity.

All fossil fuels, including coal, oil and natural gas, are finite resources. While coal is by far the most abundant fossil fuel, the use of any finite resource is, by definition, unsustainable in the long-term. The modern global economy, however, is heavily dependent upon the use of finite resources, and this will only change gradually as resources decline and new economic activities and technologies emerge. 

In the context of sustainable development, the question is not whether coal will play a role, but rather how humanity can continue to enjoy the many economic and social benefits associated with its use, while at the same time reducing or eliminating environmental impacts.

The relative abundance and wide distribution of coal is emphasised by the fundamental role it has played in underpinning world economic and social progress, particularly since the industrial revolution of the 19^th Century. Given projected strong growth in global demand for energy of all types, coal will continue to be an essential part of the world’s energy and industrial materials mix for the foreseeable future.

Meeting the sustainable development challenge in the energy sector in the face of rapidly growing global energy demand will require innovation and acceleration of technological change across all energy sectors, including coal and other fossil fuels. An increasingly strong commitment to research and development by the global coal industry ensures that coal will be well placed to meet this challenge.