Opencasting — putting the environment at risk?

Opencast coalmining has been undertaken in Britain since 1942, but national policy towards its role in the energy market has fluctuated, and today there is a growing awareness of its detrimental impact on the environment. This paper explores the changing policy background since 1974 and, through an examination of recent planning appeal decisions, assesses the weight placed on the competing factors underlying the present formulation of government policy. It is submitted that at present government has failed to formulate a coherent policy in terms of land‐use and that the cost of this failure is a continued erosion of the environment.     

浅谈淮南矿区采煤沉陷治理新思路

淮南市煤炭资源丰富,随着煤炭的大规模开发,也造成了采煤塌陷地的产生。采煤塌陷地的出现使得矿区耕地数量急剧减少,地质环境受到严重破坏,生态环境受到严重污染,进而引发了一系列社会问题。作为国家首批循环经济试点单位,淮南矿业集团已把建设绿色环保、和谐文明的能源基地归入四大发展战略之中,加大了对采煤沉陷区的综合治理。本论文在总结以往淮南矿区采煤沉陷治理状况的同时,介绍了一些最近涌现出的治理新思路,并从中得到一些企业谋求发展的思考和启发。