Coal Mining - Summary

Steinkohle (Hard Coal)

Stein Kohle - traditional energy source for over 100 years.

Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr Area)

  • Traditional coal mining area with a difficult legacy.

  • The most important industrial location in Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries.

  • Generations shaped by coal mining.

  • Structural change is a major challenge for the Ruhr region.

Tasks

  1. Development of Hard Coal Mining: Provide information about the development of hard coal mining and explain the changes in domestic hard coal production (M1-M3, Atlas, Internet).

  2. Competitiveness of German Hard Coal: Explain the statement "German hard coal is not competitive" (M3).

  3. Northward Migration of Hard Coal Mining: Explain the so-called "northward migration" of hard coal mining (M1/M5) by:

    • Describing the geological profile accurately.

    • Converting the profile into a simple sketch.

    • Preparing a short presentation on this topic.

  4. Consequences of Hard Coal Mining in the Ruhr Area: Consequences of hard coal mining are particularly evident in the Ruhr area.

    • Describe possible consequences of hard coal mining (M4/M6).

    • Explain these phenomena (M4/M6).

  5. Article on the Legacy of Hard Coal Mining: Write an article for the student newspaper on the topic "Legacy of hard coal mining - what does this mean for our future?"

Keywords: Mining, mining damage, subsidence, geological profile, opencast mining, mine.

Materials

  • M1: Map of the Ruhr area with mines or abandoned mines.

  • M2: Data on hard coal mining areas in Germany.

  • M3: Development of domestic production and imports of hard coal, as well as price development in Germany.

  • M4: Consequences of hard coal mining.

  • Bergsenkung (Subsidence):

    • House in Dorsten

    • House in Bochum-Wattenscheid

  • Ewigkeitslasten (Perpetual Burdens): Those responsible for regulating damages in hard coal mining, as well as lignite mining, are the mining companies, such as RAG. RAG spends around 300300 million euros annually. After its end in 2018, hard coal mining will leave so-called perpetual burdens in the Ruhr area. Water must be permanently pumped out, also to prevent water from collecting in the depressions caused by mining and turning the Ruhr area into a kind of lake district.

  • M5: Geological profile of the Ruhr area from north to south.

Australian Hard Coal

Hard Coal - traditional energy source

  • Hard coal production under difficult conditions in Australia

  • Lower wages than in Germany

  • Long transport routes

  • Enormous environmental damage due to opencast mining

  • Australia relies on coal exports

Tasks

  1. Describe the occurrence and mining of hard coal in Australia (M1/M5/M7).

  2. Explain the significance of the hard coal industry in Australia (M2-M4).

  3. Characterize the importance of Australian hard coal for the country's economy (M2-M4, Atlas)

    • using a concept map.

    • based on an entry in a travel guide.

  4. Take a position on the hard coal industry in Australia and discuss possible future scenarios (M3-M8).

  5. A large part of the hard coal used in combustion in Germany comes from Australia. Explain this.

Keywords: Land grabbing, reserve, opencast mining

Materials

  • M1: Energy Resources of Australia

    • Occurrence of gas and oil

    • Hard coal

    • Lignite

    • Uranium

    • Coal export harbors

  • M2: Development of coal production and revenues in Australia

  • M3: Development of employees in the Australian coal industry

  • M4: Price development of coal on the world market.

Michael Camden lives and works in Portland, two hours by car from Sydney. Wherever hard coal is mined, the landscape has been taken over. The stretched administrative buildings, the lounges and showers for the two hundred workers seem tiny compared to the transport belts that run day and night. "Although raw material prices are not that good at the moment, we are doing well overall with our production," says Michael. And the family has a lot more left over at the end of the month than before, when he earned just under half of his current salary of 700 dollars as a bricklayer.

Although Michael doesn't think the huge mining areas that are left to nature after the end of production are particularly beautiful and desolate either, he emphasizes the numerous jobs that have been created.

  • M6: Changes in the Australian energy sector. Currently, the majority of electricity in Australia is generated from fossil fuels. More than 7575 percent of total electricity production was generated by coal in 2011, and only 8.78.7 percent by renewable energies. The Australian government has passed the "Renewable Energy Target" law to ensure that at least 2020 percent of electricity supply is covered by renewable resources by 2020.

  • M7: Coal terminal of Newcastle, New South Wales.

  • M8: Newspaper article.

Braunkohle (Lignite)

Braunkohle - a domestic energy source

Overview

  • Lignite mining in Germany in 2011 in million tons.

  • Opportunities and limits of lignite mining - the Rhenish lignite mining area

  • Lignite ensures security of supply.

  • Germany is the world's largest lignite producer.

  • After reunification, the Lusatia and Central Germany mining areas became two more important locations.

  • The Rhineland is Germany's most important lignite mining location

Tasks

  1. Compare the three largest lignite mining areas in Germany (Atlas, M2/M3).

  2. Describe the electricity supply in Germany (Atlas).

  3. Characterize the importance of the Rhenish lignite mining area and describe the development of the area (M5, Atlas).

  4. Present the development of the individual lignite opencast mines in the Rhenish mining area (M7) by:

    • Creating a table of the individual opencast mines.

    • Describing the development of selected opencast mines in a text.

    • Entering the current production volume in selected opencast mines in a simple map sketch (Atlas).

  5. Assess the efficiency of lignite as an energy source (M6/M10).

  6. Write a textbook article for a 5th grade class on the topic: Lignite - an important domestic energy source.

Keywords: Lignite, CO2CO_2 emission, opencast mining, efficiency

Materials

  • M2: Lignite mining and reserves

  • M3: Operating areas and recultivated areas.

  • M4: Overview of the German energy industry in 2012

  • M5: Domestic production of primary energy sources

  • M6: Solutions for CO2CO_2 output and water consumption in the context of lignite-fired power plants.

  • M7: Lignite mining in the Rhenish lignite mining area according to the operating years.

  • M8: Location of the Rhenish lignite mining area.

  • M10: Types of coal by energy content

Lignite - A Domestic Energy Source

Lignite Mining and the Conflict Between Economy and Ecology

  • The German mining law originally emerged from customary law. Since 1982, the Federal Mining Law (BBergG) has been in force. The law is based on freedom of mining, which means that all raw materials in the ground (metals, crude oil, natural gas, coal, salt, etc.) can be extracted from the ground, regardless of land ownership.

  • Landowners are only entitled to their own soil resources (sand, gravel, etc.). However, ownership can be restricted if a state-controlled allocation procedure has been carried out. In this procedure, it is examined whether the extraction of the soil resources is in the overall public interest. If this is determined, the compensation of the affected landowners must be ensured. In particular, when this is associated with resettlement, there are considerable conflicts of interest.

  • Furthermore, the mining law regulates what type of recultivation or renaturation must take place after mining has been completed.

Tasks

  1. Describe the illustration of the lignite opencast mine and list the different interest groups for and against lignite mining (M5).

  2. Localize the Garzweiler II opencast mine and explain possible positive and negative aspects of lignite mining (M1/M3, Atlas).

  3. Explain the German mining law in your own words and discuss the question of whether mining law should take precedence over personal rights (M2).

  4. Explain the terms renaturation and recultivation with a view to Garzweiler II (→ definitions, Atlas).

    • Create a table with concrete measures.

    • Create a simple map sketch in which only recultivation measures are shown.

    • Write a text about recultivation in the Rhenish lignite mining area.

  5. Incorporate arguments of central positions on the Garzweiler II lignite opencast mine (M5/M4, Internet) and conduct a pro and contra debate (e.g. in a role play).

  6. You are an editor of a regional daily newspaper. Write a neutral article about the Garzweiler II lignite opencast mine.

Keywords: Removal, mining law, CO2CO_2, particulate matter, recultivation, renaturation, resettlement, efficiency

M1: The German Mining Law

  • General "restoration" of landscapes or landscape elements, such as streams or groups of trees, to a near-natural state with the possibility of natural development.

  • Includes geotechnical, landscaping, water management, agricultural and forestry measures to restore and recreate disturbed landscape ecosystems through human and technical activities.

M4: Opinions on recultivation in the Rhenish lignite mining area.

M5: Four positions on lignite in NRW or on Garzweiler II.