A coal-fired power plant is seen in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, in this November 2021 photo. (Mainichi/Mitsuyoshi Hirano)
The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about the future of coal-related jobs as the world replaces fossil fuels with clean energy.
Question: Amid calls to go coal-free to help alleviate global warming, what will happen to the world’s coal workers?
Answer: One-third of the world’s electricity is generated by burning coal. But because burning coal emits massive amounts of carbon dioxide, the world is phasing out coal-fired power. There will be people who suffer from this in the future due to job losses. In South Africa, one of the world’s largest coal producers, some 120,000 people are in coal-related jobs, and they are feeling a grave sense of crisis.
Q: Renewable energy,…