Current EU policy will force a significant reduction of hard coal mines in the near future due to environmental restrictions. There are also numerous non-coal underground mines that will be excavated in the next few years. Taking the above into consideration, it is worth starting to plan further steps in terms of reclamation of these facilities. Within this manuscript, both recently used and novel approaches to underground space reclamation have been reviewed. Selected methods of reclamation were analyzed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, and the results were compared with the effect of a commonly used approaches (i.e., filling or flooding of underground space after mine termination). The analysis has been performed in the scope of sustainable development. Taking into account the opinion of many stakeholder groups and underground facilities, reuse was considered as an action aimed at fulfilling sustainable development goals and the circular economy concept. Based on numerous surveys, the challenges and opportunities have been determined as well. Finally, most perspectives concerning underground mine reclamation, including environmental impact, social acceptance, and profitability have been proposed and described.
The European Union’s climate policy and the assumptions of the European Green Deal require Poland to take decisive transition efforts. The achievement of climate neutrality is a challenge due to the special role of coal in the Polish economy. Closing mines and abandoning coal is the greatest challenge for local communities in mining regions. This article presents the example of Wałbrzych, a Polish post-mining town, which has been experiencing the accumulation of negative consequences of inadequately planned liquidation since the 1990s. The current activities of mining companies in the face of abandoning coal were also analyzed. The gaps identified in the literature indicate the need to define a new method of managing the liquidation processes, based on the consideration of key risks resulting from decommissioning, to minimize the social costs in the first place. In this regard, it is helpful to diagnose the social concerns of the stakeholders. The social aspects of mine closures remain a challenge and finding effective ways to deal with them has become crucial for the industry. This prompted us to propose an approach based on community involvement in the decommissioning processes and the introduction of the social license for closure (SLC). By engaging the community, the SLC gives it a voice, allowing it to accommodate the individual needs of mining regions and ensure a successful and just transition. This article recognizes the key stakeholders and their fears related to the liquidation of mining. The organizational framework for stakeholder approval of the SLC is presented. The analysis was based on the example of Poland, a country facing the challenge of closing hard coal mines. Conclusions formulated on the basis of the case study complement the existing research in the field of social licensing and involving stakeholders in the mine closure planning process in accordance with the idea of corporate social responsibility.
The article presents one of the social aspects of mine closure, which concerns degraded urban space. One of the post-industrial districts of Waibrzych: Sobiecin was selected as a case study, in which the general condition of the buildings was assessed. The closure of mines is the last stage of mining activity, the result of which should be a permanent minimization of the negative consequences of the impact of the mining industry. The closure of mining enterprises has environmental, social and economic consequences. The liquidation of the Waibrzych coal mines in the 1990s resulted in a rapid de-industrialization of the region and did not provide the means to contain the domino effect it caused. At that time, economic and social changes began in Waibrzych, and unorganized and intense changes took place in the city space. Liquidation processes in the mining industry have led, among others, to the physical and aesthetic degradation of residential buildings and other facilities. The purpose of this article is to assess the general condition of buildings located in an area affected by the negative consequences of mine closures. To achieve this goal, an inventory of the technical condition of the buildings was made. The external elements of the building were assessed by means of a field interview: the facade, door and window joinery and roof covering. The inventory process was supported by drone flights. The collected data was used for graphic and tabular studies, summarizing the condition of buildings and the degree of degradation of urban space.
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