China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits
In the global push towards carbon neutrality, the gradual reduction of coal has become a prominent topic of discussion. While the potential negative impacts of coal mine closures have drawn considerable attention, the benefits for water resources remain underexplored. This study seeks to analyze the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Energy Nexus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000531 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849689831984070656 |
|---|---|
| author | Yunan Peng Jinling Guo Junlian Gao Bo Zhang Kejia Yan |
| author_facet | Yunan Peng Jinling Guo Junlian Gao Bo Zhang Kejia Yan |
| author_sort | Yunan Peng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the global push towards carbon neutrality, the gradual reduction of coal has become a prominent topic of discussion. While the potential negative impacts of coal mine closures have drawn considerable attention, the benefits for water resources remain underexplored. This study seeks to analyze the effects of China’s coal mining de-capacity policies on water resources between 2011 and 2019, employing a bottom-up accounting approach. During this period, 1,610.4 Mt of coal mining capacity was closed, with 55.1 % of the total closures concentrated in water-scarce regions. The shutdown of coal mines unexpectedly generated substantial water co-benefits, including reductions in mine water, water consumption and wastewater discharge, accounting for 8,697.7 Mt, 2,701.5 Mt and 2,627.9 Mt, respectively. These water benefits were primarily observed in the Middle Yellow River and Southwest regions of China, with provinces such as Shanxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Henan and Inner Mongolia collectively contributing 58.6 % of the national total. The findings highlight the positive impacts of coal de-capacity policies on regional groundwater protection and ecosystems, offering valuable insights for promoting coal withdrawal as part of a sustainable energy transition. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a36967bfe4854cf5a968aa51cd0c44c1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2772-4271 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy Nexus |
| spelling | doaj-art-a36967bfe4854cf5a968aa51cd0c44c12025-08-20T03:21:30ZengElsevierEnergy Nexus2772-42712025-06-011810041210.1016/j.nexus.2025.100412China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefitsYunan Peng0Jinling Guo1Junlian Gao2Bo Zhang3Kejia Yan4School of Management, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, PR ChinaSchool of Management, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, PR ChinaSchool of Management, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, PR ChinaChina Institute for Studies in Energy Policy, School of Management, Xiamen University, Fujian 361005, PR China; Corresponding authors.Faculty of Business Administration, Macau Millennium College, Macau 999078, PR China; Corresponding authors.In the global push towards carbon neutrality, the gradual reduction of coal has become a prominent topic of discussion. While the potential negative impacts of coal mine closures have drawn considerable attention, the benefits for water resources remain underexplored. This study seeks to analyze the effects of China’s coal mining de-capacity policies on water resources between 2011 and 2019, employing a bottom-up accounting approach. During this period, 1,610.4 Mt of coal mining capacity was closed, with 55.1 % of the total closures concentrated in water-scarce regions. The shutdown of coal mines unexpectedly generated substantial water co-benefits, including reductions in mine water, water consumption and wastewater discharge, accounting for 8,697.7 Mt, 2,701.5 Mt and 2,627.9 Mt, respectively. These water benefits were primarily observed in the Middle Yellow River and Southwest regions of China, with provinces such as Shanxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Henan and Inner Mongolia collectively contributing 58.6 % of the national total. The findings highlight the positive impacts of coal de-capacity policies on regional groundwater protection and ecosystems, offering valuable insights for promoting coal withdrawal as part of a sustainable energy transition.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000531Coal mine closureWater benefitsDe-capacity policyCoal miningChinaEnergy transition |
| spellingShingle | Yunan Peng Jinling Guo Junlian Gao Bo Zhang Kejia Yan China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits Energy Nexus Coal mine closure Water benefits De-capacity policy Coal mining China Energy transition |
| title | China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits |
| title_full | China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits |
| title_fullStr | China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits |
| title_full_unstemmed | China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits |
| title_short | China's coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019: Unintended water benefits |
| title_sort | china s coal mine closures from 2011 to 2019 unintended water benefits |
| topic | Coal mine closure Water benefits De-capacity policy Coal mining China Energy transition |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000531 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yunanpeng chinascoalmineclosuresfrom2011to2019unintendedwaterbenefits AT jinlingguo chinascoalmineclosuresfrom2011to2019unintendedwaterbenefits AT junliangao chinascoalmineclosuresfrom2011to2019unintendedwaterbenefits AT bozhang chinascoalmineclosuresfrom2011to2019unintendedwaterbenefits AT kejiayan chinascoalmineclosuresfrom2011to2019unintendedwaterbenefits |