The coal story: Generational coal mining communities and strategies of energy transition in Australia

Abstract

The implications of place attachment and loss in generational coal mining communities are currently under-examined in energy transition discourse in Australia. By examining public submissions regarding a coal mining development in Lithgow, New South Wales, this paper identifies a relationship between coal mining and generational identity in this community. Acknowledging this relationship adds a useful perspective to energy transition discourse by highlighting the way in which hidden dimensions of loss can act to reinforce local support of extractive industry. We combine recent scholarship on the emotionality of the minescape (Ey & Sherval, 2016; Ey et al., 2017) with work on the ways in which place attachment can translate to feelings of loss in response to material change (Adger et al., 2013; Barnett et al., 2016; Tschakert et al., 2017) to suggest that factors of time and place can make community-level actors within the energy landscape either receptive, or resistant, to change. Applying this understanding to decarbonisation strategies can inform a more effective, and more just, energy transition in Australia.