Coal and the Environment: Planning and Management Issues for the Future of the Coalfields

Abstract

This paper provides a review of the key issues which confront environmental planners in their attempts to manage change in coalfield areas. Attention is paid to a complex series of matters which currently inhibit the effective management of both old and new coalfield areas and, especially, to the urgent need for national assessment and guidance. A number of emerging matters of concern are suggested as providing topics for future research. These include the identification of the environmental consequences of new coal production strategies, an examination of the effectiveness of new procedures for managing opencasting, an evaluation of the employment impacts of controls upon the burning of high sulphur coal, an estimation of the socioeconomic impact of productivity gains, the assessment of community problems in coalfield areas and the measurement of the effectiveness of the new EIA Directive. These topics are seen as likely to yield research evidence which is essential if environmental planning and management is to be more effective in the future evolution of coalfield areas.