The Health Costs of Revised Coal Mining Limits in Northern Bohemia

Abstract

Brown coal has been the major source of energy for more than 150 years for the Czech economy, but its role in the coming decades is nowadays the source of heated debate. Many of the recurring discussions address the coal reserves that were set aside in 1991 in order to halt the massive destruction of the landscape and the unprecedented deterioration of the human environment in Northern Bohemia. We study the proposed variants of the revised mining limits using the impact-pathway approach in order to quantify and monetize the health effects of airborne emissions from coal mining and the use of extracted coal for the production of electricity and heat. We find that the dominant health impacts associated with the revision of the limits, estimated to be up to 7 billion euros over the 2015-2050 period, will stem from the use of coal for the production of electricity and heat and that a large part of the impact will be borne by populations outside the Czech Republic.

Impacts of Reclassified Brown Coal Reserves on the Energy System and Deep Decarbonisation Target in the Czech Republic

“…A major part of damage for each of the four pollutant categories is responsible for adverse health impacts, 90% SO 2 , 79% for NO x , 99% for PM 2.5 and PM coarse . Impacts on biodiversity contribute by 5%, 15%, for SO 2 and NO x , respectively, and materials effects comprise 6%, 1%, for SO 2 and NO x , respectively.…”

“…The other two considered TEL variants would constitute a total of 167 Mt (2540 PJ) or even 269 Mt (4280 PJ) of newly accessible brown coal under TEL3 and TEL4, respectively; see Figure 1, more details in [2]. The use of newly accessible brown coal reserves may result not only in a higher share of brown coal in the fossil fuel mix, but it could also have an impact on the deployment of renewable resources and other non-fossil technologies.…”

“…This would be in sharp contrast with the current EU energy-climate policy, which calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and coal usage, and an increase in the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in final energy consumption (The 20-20-20 target to be achieved at the EU level by 2020 has been updated by setting the EU commitment at 40-27-27 target by 2030 [3], which was integrated into the EU 2050 Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy [4] which requires reducing greenhouse gases emissions to 80% below the 1990 level by 2050. The 40-27-27 target specifically includes: (1) reduction of the EU's GHG emissions by at least 40% relative to the 1990 level; (2) an increase in the share of renewables to at least 27% of the EU's final energy consumption; and (3) an increase in energy efficiency by at least 27%. These new 2030 EU targets will be accompanied by the reform of the EU Emission Trading System and by a package of measures to achieve a competitive, affordable, secure, and sustainable energy supply for the EU [5]).…”

“…Máca and Melichar [2] quantified the health effects of airborne emissions from coal mining and the use of extracted coal in all TEL variants, as assumed by the Czech Government, but they did not analyse the impacts on the energy system and hence emissions attributable to optimized energy mix. This paper applies a new extended Integrated Markal Efom System of the Czech Republic (TIMES-CZ) covering the whole energy sector to assess the impacts of all four policy options in question.…”

Application of Project Management Process on Environmental Management System Improvement in Mining-Energy Complexes

“…Regular monitoring of air, water, and soil quality enables timely response and prevention of hazardous events [3]. Alignment of production and consumption with the available natural resources plays a significant role in creating the basis for harmonious relations between the energy sector and sustainable development [4].…”