Climate change is happening.
And one industry in particular, will have to undergo
a huge transformation and all but disappear by 2050….
The coal industry.
But what does this mean for that industry and
governments around the world?
And what about the workers the coal industry employs?
We’re taking a look at the steps one country
is taking to prepare for a clean energy economy,
while trying to make sure no one gets left behind.
To avoid the most devastating consequences of climate change,
a United Nations panel of scientists recently warned
that drastic action is required around the world.
[Sanchez]The climate change we are facing is global and cross-cutting.
It directly affects a great many sectors such as housing, tourism,
water mobility, to name just a few.
But this ecological transition which is
starting to be known in many forms as
the Green New Deal should not instill fear.
[Host] In Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
came into power in 2018.
And one of his government's priorities
was taking immediate action to address climate change.
That meant drastic action to limit Spain’s coal industry.
The country had to comply with a European Union
directive that said that public funds could no longer
be used to keep unprofitable coal mines open.
This meant that those mines had to be
shut down by the end of 2018.
And that’s exactly what happened.
By December 2018, roughly three out of four of
Spain’s coal miners clocked out of work for the last time.
Spain’s socialist government cut a deal
with several affiliated miner’s unions,
referred to as the ‘Just Transition’ deal.
The deal aimed to protect blue collar workers from
some of the economic pain that mine closures would inflict.
The deal would send 250 million euros, or roughly
285 million U.S. dollars,
to Spain’s mining regions over the next ten years.
This money would be spent on upgrading
infrastructure in mining communities,
like recycling or waste management facilities.
Funds would also be spent on things like forest
recovery and reducing noise pollution,
as well as other environmental needs.
Some observers have pointed to this deal
as an example of a popular climate policy
that could be used as a model
to be exported to other countries.
They say the working-class people employed by these industries
would not be hit with the largest burden.
That’s because this deal also ensured that
roughly 60% of miners –
those over age 48, or with over 25 years
of service – would qualify for early retirement.
And younger miners?
Well they’ll receive severance pay
and be first in line for jobs
to environmentally revive former mining sites.
But the deal isn’t perfect.
While the Spanish government has started
registering miners for new jobs,
those positions might not be available until 2020.
And that’s probably why some miners are really
skeptical about this plan,
as they wait to receive the benefits
of the Just Transition deal.
One miner told HuffPost last year that quote
“The government only speaks about global warming,
but they want to close the mine for [economic] reasons.”
This type of sentiment could become a real challenge
for Sanchez’s government moving forward --
if the citizens most affected by this transition policy,
don’t believe that it is necessary in the first place.
While support for a ‘Just Transition’ deal among
Spain’s miners is still up in the air,
Sanchez’s government is plotting its
next moves on climate policy.
Parliament is currently considering the
Climate Change and Energy Transition Law,
which would set ambitious targets for moving
Spain’s economy away from all fossil fuels.
Spain would stop issuing new licenses for
oil and gas exploration in Spanish waters
and all drilling would end by 2040.
Also, every car sold in Spain would have to be
a ‘zero emission’ vehicle by that year.
And workers whose jobs would be affected by the
transition would receive financial support and job training,
according to the new plan.
To be clear, this is an ambitious plan.
So we’ll be watching to see how Spain gets it done.