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SECTOR: COAL
COAL SECTOR AND THE UN SDGs Linkages between the coal sector and the SDGs have big impacts ... both good and bad 
Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY This material is pulled from the 2022 GRI-22 standard for coal ... that is the graphic above and the text below. The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) were adopted by the UN in 2015. They were a refinement and follow up to the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals) adopted in 2000. The SDGs were more detailed than the MDGs and in many ways easier to talk about and more difficult to actually implement. In my view, these 'goals' have become a massive diversion from the real job of 'development' and its effective management. Goals are easy to talk about, whereas progress and performance are more difficult because they are associeted with actual reality. In the case of the UN and international development, talking about tangible progress and performance gets to be a huge embarrassment. Coal was the dominant source of energy that powered the industrial revolution which enabled the most important progress in all of human history. Mankind is now having to face the negative consequences of this progress and must do so as a matter of urgency, but we should be thankful for coal and steam technology that has played such an important role over the last two centuries. This table linking SDGs with different aspects of the coal sector is interesting and pretty without being of much practical management utility. !!!!!!!!! Peter Burgess | ||
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Sustainable Development Goals
Section from the GRI paper The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the 193 United Nations (UN) member states, comprise the world’s comprehensive plan of action to achieving sustainable development [11]. Since the SDGs and targets associated with them are integrated and indivisible, organizations have a role to play in achieving the SDGs by enhancing their positive impacts and by preventing and mitigating negative impacts on the economy, environment, and people. While the coal sector contributes to meeting the world’s energy demand and has played a role in achieving Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, extracting and burning coal is the primary contributor to climate change. Climate change can also exacerbate other challenges, such as achieving access to clean water, food security, and poverty reduction. Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy, while mitigating GHG emissions as per Goal 13: Climate Action and transitioning to a low-carbon economy, is one of the sector’s greatest challenges. Because the coal sector still provides an essential source of employment and income in many regions, it can make positive contributions to Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and Goal 1: No Poverty, if labor conditions and workplace hazards are adequately managed. However, the accelerated coal mine closures triggered by the transition to a low-carbon economy will diminish these contributions in the long term and instead pose potential impacts for affected workers and local communities. With proper management of environmental impacts, the coal sector can contribute to Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities and Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The sector’s presence can also stimulate other economic activities that expand infrastructure and services to local communities around mining sites. Table 2 presents connections between the likely material topics for the coal sector and the SDGs. These links were identified based on an assessment of the impacts described in each likely material topic, the targets associated with each SDG, and existing mapping undertaken for the sector (see reference [34] in the Bibliography). Table 2 is not a reporting tool but presents connections between the coal sector’s significant impacts and the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. See references [40] and [41] in the Bibliography for information on reporting progress towards the SDGs using the GRI Standards.
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