Page 43 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2019 publication

Autumn 2019 European Energy Innovation 43
REGIONAL COAL TRANSITION
but an identity. It connotes a certain
character, a certain way of living.
The regions in which coal mining is a
major industry are subject to a sort of
geographic version: they too become
defined by the tunnels and the coal.
Coal is mined in 41 regions across
12 EU countries, with coal activities
providing jobs to about 237,000
people. Around 24 percent of the
European power generation mix is
based on coal. All of this means that
when drastic, disruptive change is
necessary, it does not come easily.
Calling for change in the name of
decarbonisation is more than just
asking men and women to switch
machines, to upskill, to move to
another type of employment – it is
asking them to change a deep-rooted
sense of who they are and what their
profession means. It is asking a region
to abandon its economic model and
to try and carve out a new position in
an aggressive global market place.
Zdeněk Karásek, Deputy of the
Governor of Moravia-Silesia, a major
coal mining region in the Czech
Republic, knows the challenges
first hand. “Our region has been in
transition for thirty years. The main
challenge is to completely change the
identity of the region. These regions
of coal and steel have a reputation for
hard work, a lot of pollution, but also
high salaries and people of a specific
nature,” he said. “During the transition Part of this strategy is weaning
process it’s necessary to change this
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image in a bid to find new sources of
economic development.”
These are significant challenges,
but they are challenges that
must be faced. Despite coal’s
current importance within the
European power generation mix,
it is indisputable that the future
of European energy does not lie in
fossil fuels. The EU’s Joint Research
Centre estimates that two thirds of
the current coal mining workforce
will be directly affected by changes
in the power sector during the next
decade, with the largest job losses
experienced by the Czech Republic,
Poland and Germany. Indeed, in many
regions the waning demand for coal
has already led to an exodus of young
people.
For those regions that make the
change, however, the rewards can
be great, such as new companies
setting up locally, a revived
economic prosperity, and a renewed
international interest in the region.
The EU has undertaken a long-term
strategy to achieve net zero emissions
by 2050, titled A Clean Planet for
all. This strategy sets the direction
for EU climate and energy policy,
outlining European contributions to
international targets, such as the
Paris Climate Agreement and the UN
Sustainable Development Goals.
Europe off of its dependence on fossil