“Bridging Coal Transitions: Lessons from the Global North and South – by Hiroyuki Tsuji

In this blog, PhD researcher Hiroyuki Tsuji reflects on key insights from the Global Coal Transition Conference in Ohio, exploring critical differences in coal transitions across the Global North and South, and pondering how lessons from these diverse contexts might inform equitable and inclusive strategies for coal-dependent communities worldwide.

Coal transition across the Global North and the Global South

After wrapping up my before-summer schedules in the Netherlands, I flew to Ohio, the United States. I came to attend The Conference on Global Coal Transition, hosted by Ohio State University, in July 2024. Ohio was once one of the epicentres of coal mining in the US since the nineteenth century, yet the state has experienced a decline in the coal sector over time. Together with other neighbouring states, the region is often called the ‘Rust Belt’ due to the regional deindustrialisation and economic decay. Thus, Ohio is an ideal place to discuss regional prosperity and decline through coal and a relevant topic such as coal transition.

A plenary session at Ohio State University

After arriving in Columbus, the capital of Ohio, the first two days of the conference were marked by a series of presentations, thematic panels, and keynote sessions. The coal transition and associated challenges across more than 10 coal-producing countries (Global North and South) were discussed. What was thrilling was that besides academics, representatives of the U.S. government and Just Transition Fund, NGO workers who closely work with coal communities in the U.S., and local artists with connections with the Appalachian region also joined the conference and shared different views on the theme. On the final day, we embarked on a one-day field trip to the Appalachian coal mining region. We visited the reclamation site of former mining pits (now converted into a safari) and a former coal town where we could still sense the air of the “good old days”.

A former mining site that was transformed into a nature conservation site

After attending several sessions and having random conversations with other participants, I realised that there are quite a few differences in the realities concerning the coal transition between countries in the Global North and Global South. I observed three main differences that deserve attention: positionalities, priorities, and contexts.

Positionalities

In the coal-producing countries in the Global North, changes associated with the global decarbonisation process are more visible. For instance, in the US and Australia, more coal mines and coal-fired plants are being shut down, which has made coal communities anticipate a new future without coal. On the other hand, in the Global South, the changes are less visible. During the conference, I often heard, ‘the transition is not taking place’ in the coal mining regions in the Global South. The difference in positionalities can also be linked to the long history of economic domination and colonisation by the West. For instance, China and India are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases today, yet they still heavily engage in coal, arguing the historical responsibilities of Western countries on climate change.

Priorities

Debates around coal transition in the Global North prioritise how to ensure a just transition and restore the regional economy and environment. In many countries in the Global South, coal phase-out is not an immediate step forward, as countries prioritise their economic growth (using coal) in the first place. As a result, the global coal geography has been under reconfiguration. We observe the increased south-south coal trades and investments across different countries in the Global South. Energy-hungry China and India are the catalysers of this increased south-south coal flow. For instance, Indonesia, the third-largest coal producer in the world, has been increasing its thermal coal exports to China and India in recent years, and Mozambique has also increased their coal export to India, strengthening the south-south coal alliances.

Contexts

National contexts concerning the coal transition are also distinct. In the case of the Global North, civil society has a more robust monitoring and bargaining power than in the Global South. NGOs closely monitor and support coal communities, often collaborating with mining companies and local governments. During the sessions, I heard many words that begin with re-, such as reimagine, restorative, reclamation, and others. I felt these futuristic debates are quite a contrast to the context of the Global South, where debates around coal still focus on the present. Some coal-producing countries in the Global South are experiencing a heyday, and the coal communities and activists have less power to influence foreign mining companies and (authoritarian) states’ policies.

On a visit to an old coal town of Shawnee

We have seen three main differences concerning coal transition between countries in the Global North and Global South, which are their positionalities, priorities, and contexts. While the Global North countries are more engaged in achieving the coal transition, countries in the Global South are less engaged due to their positionalities and priorities. In the Global North, civil society has more voice in shaping the coal transition, while in many countries in the Global South, the coal community and activists have limited power to influence the decision-makers. Yet, across the Global North and South, coal communities are still vulnerable to the transition and are bypassed in discussions on determining the future of coal towns.

One question that I had in mind after the conference is: to what extent these experiences from the Global North can be learnt for the countries in the Global South, like Mozambique, where a small group of elite controls everything and the civil society has limited power to influence the national policies?  During one of the sessions, I heard a story that stayed inside me. It was about a community located near a power plant in the United States. The community members had close ties (both socially and economically) with the power plant company for generations. Finally, the company decided to deactivate the plant, but the community members initially did not believe it. When the community members realised that, indeed, the power plant would be shut down, it was already too late to respond and plan out the community’s future. This story illustrates the importance of proactively imagining a post-coal future for coal communities. One certain thing is that Mozambique and other coal-producing countries in the Global South will inevitably face the coal transition in the future; whether there will be a coal transition or not will depend on proactive and inclusive discussions among different stakeholders, and coal communities must be at the centre of these discussions.