Sustainable Development
White Energy Supports Sustainable Development
The overall ambition of sustainability is to achieve development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their requirements. To build a sustainable future, we must recognize that sustainability is a broad goal with three intertwined pillars of development – economic, social and environmental. Coal has a vital role to play in all three.
Economic - Coal is an affordable fuel and its market competitive. Coal prices have declined steadily in real terms since the 1980’s. For developing countries, coal exports generate US$7 billion per annum in revenues and US$60 billion in energy import cost savings.
Social - Coal is a vital component to poverty alleviation. In poorer regions, coal mining supports the local infrastructure by providing jobs, roads, transport, education, water and communications and by improving public health. Coal-generated power offers an effective route to achieving widespread access to electricity in a reasonable time frame. Over the past 15 years in China, 700 million people have been connected to electricity; 98% of the country is now electrified.
Environmental - By focusing solely on the environmental dimension of coal, we risk depriving the world of both economic growth and the benefits that it provides in improving people’s lives. Environmental issues are critical but not the only priority. Sustainability requires us to respond to and meet the environmental challenges of coal. Clean coal technologies already offer answers to these challenges.
(World Coal Institute, 2003)
Further information:
Next: Sustainability & the Champions of Coal »
Previous: « The Reality
