Several hundreds of miners from across Ukraine rallied in central Kiev early Wednesday, demanding authorities to take actions against a crisis that gripped the country's coal mining industry.
It was once a proud industry employing more than 1.2 million people in hundreds of coal mines across Britain.
China is getting better at monitoring its energy mix and its emissions, precisely because the country understands the climate threat and is working with the rest of the world to fight it, a U.S. expert has said.
Burning coal and industrial emissions,exacerbated by burning crops, have covered northern Chinese cities in heavy smog, prompting experts to warn of the tough battle ahead as heating season starts.
President Barack Obama announced on Monday a tougher climate change plan for power plants amidst an overwhelming opposition from U.S. states nationwide.
Twenty four people were trapped after water flooded a coal mine in north China's Shanxi Province at around 6:50 p.m. on Sunday, the coal mine's owner reported on Monday.
The National Energy Administration (NEA) vowed on Wednesday to continue scaling back the coal industry in a drive to encourage use of renewable energy.
A number of major anti- pollution measures unveiled by China during the past year are " steps in the right direction" but Beijing still needs to ensure " strong enforcement and more information transparency," a U.S. expert on climate and energy said.
Coal provides nearly two thirds of China's energy, but for mining companies, this winter could not be more chilly.
The new resource tax on coal has been deemed a crucial push for reforming the industry, presenting an opportunity for a better local taxation system.
A coal mine accident that claimed 26 lives and injured 50 on Wednesday was caused by gas combustion instead of coal dust ignition as previously presumed, China's work safety watchdog said on Thursday.
China, the world' s leading coal producer and consumer, is to levy resource tax on coal on the basis of sales instead of production from Dec. 1, in a move to shore up the dim industry and improve the deteriorating environment.
A major checkpoint for coal supplies from Shanxi province, which accounts for one-quarter of the country's reserves and output of the fuel, will close on Monday as part of government efforts to improve coal transportation and distribution.
Huge deficit and shrinking coal consumption are dragging Chinese coal enterprises into the abyss as the ongoing energy regulations encourage the sector to find a solution.
Environmentalists voiced concerns over the massive carbon emission that the would-be-constructed major coal-fired power plant in Indonesia's Central Java province would bring about, saying it may hinder the nation's emission reduction target.
China's work safety watchdog on Thursday vowed to close over 1,700 accident-prone small coal mines in a bid to enhance safety and reduce casualties.
Twenty-two people are confirmed dead after a coal mine accident on Tuesday evening in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, local authorities said.
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