Scraping By: Global Coal Miners and the Urgency of a Just Transition

Global Energy Monitor identifies nearly 2.7 million coal miners worldwide, with the majority in Asia. The report warns that 414,200 jobs could be lost by 2035 and 990,200 by 2050 due to the industry's own 'life of mine' closure schedules, regardless of climate policies. It highlights that current climate pledges cover only 6% of the thermal coal workforce, leaving millions vulnerable. The report emphasizes the need for just transition mechanisms, such as the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), and suggests bridging employment through mine reclamation and renewable energy repurposing.

• The global coal mining workforce consists of nearly 2.7 million workers across 70 countries, with over 80% located in Asia. China, India, and Indonesia together employ three times as many miners as the rest of the world combined.
• Significant job losses are expected based on the industry's own 'life of mine' (LOM) schedules, independent of climate pledges. Approximately 414,200 jobs (15% of the workforce) may be lost by 2035, and 990,200 jobs (37% of the workforce) could disappear by 2050.
• China's Shanxi Province is identified as the most vulnerable region, with 587,900 coal mining jobs, of which 241,900 are projected to be lost by 2050 due to LOM closures.
• The world's ten largest coal producers employ approximately 694,800 miners and could see up to 243,100 layoffs by 2050. State-owned operators like Coal India, Jinneng Group, and Shandong Energy are expected to be particularly impacted.
• Current national climate pledges to phase out coal power are insufficient to cover the majority of the workforce. Only 148,900 miners (6% of the global workforce) at thermal and mixed-grade mines are covered by these pledges.
• To limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2040, coal production would need to be reduced so drastically that only 252,200 miners would be required worldwide, based on current average labor productivity of 337 workers per million tonnes.
• Mechanization is reducing the need for labor, particularly in the U.S. and Australia, where fewer than 100 employees are needed per million tonnes of coal. In contrast, Poland requires 822 workers per million tonnes due to a reliance on underground operations and strong trade unions.
• Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) provide financial support to coal-dependent nations, but the funding is far below the estimated requirements. For example, South Africa's JETP provided US$ 8.5 billion against an estimated requirement of US$ 98.7 billion, and India is expected to need US$ 900 billion over 30 years.
• Mine reclamation and the repurposing of abandoned sites for renewable energy (such as solar installations in Virginia and Anhui Province) are proposed as critical bridges to maintain employment during the transition.

APA

Tate, R. D., Mei, D., Means, T., & Sugaya, S. (2023). Scraping By: Global Coal Miners and the Urgency of a Just Transition. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_Coal_Mine_Employment_2023_11.pdf

Chicago

Tate, Ryan Driskell, Dorothy Mei, Tiffany Means, and Satomi Sugaya. Scraping By: Global Coal Miners and the Urgency of a Just Transition. Global Energy Monitor, 2023. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_Coal_Mine_Employment_2023_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tate |first1=Ryan Driskell |last2=Mei |first2=Dorothy |last3=Means |first3=Tiffany |last4=Sugaya |first4=Satomi |title=Scraping By: Global Coal Miners and the Urgency of a Just Transition |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=October 2023 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_Coal_Mine_Employment_2023_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tate2023scraping, author = {Tate, Ryan Driskell and Mei, Dorothy and Means, Tiffany and Sugaya, Satomi}, title = {{Scraping By: Global Coal Miners and the Urgency of a Just Transition}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2023}, month = oct, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM_Coal_Mine_Employment_2023_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }