Impact of Coal Mining on

Climate Change & Different Forest Types in India

Dr. Rajiv Kumar Garg, IFS

Advisor (Environment & Forests) Coal India Limited

Email: advisor.cil@gmail.com Mobile: +91-9717466448

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Coal has transformed societies and shaped the fate of nations. It launched empires and triggered wars. Above all, it fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain, propelling the rise of a small rural kingdom into the greatest commercial empire in the World. Coal played a profound role in human history and continues to play in today’s world. With oil prices on the rise, coal consumption growing in USA, China and India, and signs all around us of the very real danger of climate change, our future is once again bound up with the fate of coal. Coal – A Human History Barbara Freese

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OUTLINE

• Introduction

• Role of coal in Indian economy

• Climate change & its impact on forests

• Fugitive methane emissions in coal mining

• Impact of coal mining on land

• Impact of coal mining on forests

• Issues & challenges

• Way forward

• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

• Coal a fossil fuel is far more plentiful than oil or gas, with around 109 years of coal remaining worldwide

• Coal provides not only electricity, it is also an essential fuel for steel and cement production, and other industrial activities

• The largest coal producing countries are not confined to one region - the top five coal producers are China, USA, India, Australia and South Africa

• Much of global coal production is used in the country in which it is produced; only around 15% of coal production is destined for the international coal market

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INTRODUCTION….

• Coal alone accounts for more than 50% of the total on-grid additions of electricity (World Energy Outlook)

• In 2035 there will still be one billion people without access to electricity and 2.7 billion without access to clean cooking fuels

ROLE OF COAL IN INDIAN ECONOMY

• Around 69% of India's power generation is coal based

• Even under a least coal usage scenario, coal will supply more than 40% of the primary commercial energy in 2031-32

• It is the most abundantly domestically available fossil fuel, while about 80% of oil has to be imported

• A total of 293.50 billion tons (BT) of geological resources of coal has been estimated in the country (8% of the global coal reserve)

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• Coal is viewed as a key element in increasing energy access in India, as over a quarter of the country does not have access to electricity

• Coal will remain the cheapest source of electricity for at least another two decades

• CAGR for Indian coal production has been estimated at 5%-6% in medium term

ROLE OF COAL IN INDIAN ECONOMY….

• Demand supply gap is 200 MT, India imported 168 MT of coal (2012-13)

• Demand supply gap for coking coal is 34 MT

• India is the 2nd largest producer of cement in the world, coal shortage affects cement industry

• Cost of imported coal is twice as compared to domestic coal

• Coal import is 3rd largest consumer of foreign exchange (US$ 22 billion in 2012-13, 20% increase in 2013-14)

ROLE OF COAL IN INDIAN ECONOMY….

• For the next 20 years, with CAGR of 5%, expected production of coal in India – 2013-14 615.00 MT

– 2016-17 711.94 MT (target – 715 MT)

– 2021-22 908.64 MT (target – 950 MT)

– 2032-33 1554.07 MT

ROLE OF COAL IN INDIAN ECONOMY….

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CLIMATE CHANGE & ITS IMPACT ON FORESTS

• UNFCCC has estimated that GHG emission from fossil fuels and other sources – – Oil and gas 37%

– Coal 25%

– Rest 38%

• Forests are highly sensitive to climate change, this has been shown by observations from the past, experimental studies & simulation models

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Oil and gas Coal Rest

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Contribution to GHG Emission

CLIMATE CHANGE & ITS IMPACT ON FORESTS….

• Sustained increases of as little as 1°C in mean annual air temperature can be sufficient to cause changes – – In the growth and regeneration capacity of many tree species – It can cause forest cover to disappear completely

• Slow growing species, such as late successional species will be replaced by faster-growing, highly adaptable or more mobile species

• Forced by a doubled carbon dioxide climate, large forested areas will have to change from the current to new major vegetation types

• Forests will be adversely impacted because of pests & pathogens, and increasing frequency & intensity of fires

• Large amounts of carbon may be released into the atmosphere as forests change in response to a changing climate and before new forests replace the former

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THE CHALLENGE

• Achieving energy security which is needed not only for higher GDP growth but also for assuring inclusive growth to all her citizens and ensuring environmental security. Coal meets not only commercial energy needs but also ensures lesser dependency on nearby forest areas for collection of firewood

• Coal mining and coal consumption are environment unfriendly. There are negative social impacts as well, such as displacement and lost livelihoods

• Coal usage in India also has impacts beyond India. In 2011, though India’s annual per-capita CO2 emissions at 1.6 tons was considerably lower than the global average of 4.9 tons, India was the world’s third largest emitter of CO2 with 1,970 million tons. Of this, coal usage contributed about 970 million tons, or about 49.24% of India CO2 emissions

• India needs coal but coal mining and subsequent usages of coal has adverse impact on climate which may risk various forest types

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FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSION IN COAL MINING

• Fugitive emissions are unintended emissions, including both carbon dioxide and methane that arise during the production, processing, transportation, storage and distribution of coal

• Previously trapped methane and carbon dioxide gases are released into the atmosphere as coal seams are mined. The level of fugitive emissions from coal mines varies from mine to mine

• Estimation of fugitive methane from Indian coal mines – – Open cut coal mining and coal handling – 1.33 m3 / ton

– Underground coal mining and coal handling – 15.30 m3 / ton

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FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSION IN COAL MINING….

• It is estimated that emission of fugitive methane will rise – – 1376.75 million m3 in 2013-14 to – 2625.71 million m3 in 2032-33

• Due to low concentration of methane gas, mitigation is currently a costly option for the coal mining industry

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Fugitive Methane Emission from OpenCut Mines (million m3)

Fugitive Methane Emission from UnderGround Mines (million m3)

Total Fugitive Methane Emission fromCoal Mining (million m3)

IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON LAND

• Coal bearing areas span over both forest as well as non-forest lands – Forest lands – 27.10 %

– Non-forest lands – 72.90%

• 455.58 ha of land is needed for producing 1 MT of coal – Forest lands – 123.47 ha

– Non-forest lands – 332.11 ha

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Forest lands

Non-forest lands

IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON LAND….

• 2013-14, land under coal production – Forest lands – 75,934 ha – Non-forest lands – 204,248 ha

• 2032-33, land under coal production – Forest lands – 191,881 ha – Non-forest lands – 516,122 ha

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS

• Coal is mined in 14 States of India

• More than 98.50% coal comes from 8 States – – Chhattisgarh (21.05%) – Jharkhand (20.22%) – Odisha (19.60%) – Madhya Pradesh (13.48%) – Andhra Pradesh (9.60%) – Maharashtra (7.45%) – West Bengal (4.30%) – Uttar Pradesh (2.85%)

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Coal is present below all the 16 Forest Type Groups

• 10 Forest Type Groups are present in 8 major coal producing States – – Group 2 –Tropical Semi-Evergreen

Forests – Group 3 –Tropical Moist Deciduous

Forests – Group 4 –Littoral & Swamp Forests – Group 5 –Tropical Dry Deciduous

Forests – Group 6 – Tropical Thorn Forests – Group 7 –Tropical Dry Evergreen

Forests – Group 8 –Subtropical Broadleaved Hill

Forests – Group 11 –Montane Wet Temperate

Forests – Group 12 –Himalayan Moist

Temperate Forests – Group 14 –Sub-Alpine Scrub

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Major Forest Type Groups affected by coal production and their percentage –

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Group 2 Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests 0.85

Group 3 Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests 23.64

Group 4 Littoral & Swamp Forests 0.97

Group 5 Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests 69.50

Group 6 Tropical Thorn Forests 0.69

Group 7 Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests 0.09

Group 8 Subtropical Broadleaved Hill Forests 0.24

Group 11 Montane Wet Temperate Forests 0.07

Group 12 Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests 0.10

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ToF / Plantations

Total

IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Major Forest Type Groups affected by coal production and their percentage

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Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests

Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests

Littoral & Swamp Forests

Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests

Tropical Thorn Forests

Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests

Subtropical Broadleaved Hill Forests

Montane Wet Temperate Forests

Himalayan Moist Temperate Forests

ToF / Plantations

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Most vulnerable – – Forest Type Group-5 (Tropical

Dry Deciduous Forests)

• Second most vulnerable – – Forest Type Group-3 (Tropical

Moist Deciduous Forests)

• From 2013-14 to 2032-33 – – Coal mining in Tropical Dry

Deciduous Forests will increase from 52,011 ha to 131,428 ha

– Coal mining in Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests will increase from 17,689 ha to 44,700 ha

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests –

– Presently 0.18 % is under coal mining which will increase to 0.45% over a period of next 2 decades

• Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests –

– Presently 0.13 % is under coal mining which will increase to 0.33% over a period of next 2 decades

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Group Forest Type % Sq Km

Group 3 Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests 19.73% 136537

Group 5 Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests 41.87% 289752

IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Provision for diversion of forest land for – – CPSUs provide funds to SFD for carrying out plantation over double

the degraded forest land

– Non-CPSUs make available equivalent non-forest land & funds to SFD for carrying out plantation

• Coal production mix – – CPSUs 85%

– Non-CPSUs 15%

• Apart from above mentioned provision, coal companies also carry out plantations on their own

• On an average over 27.56% of mine lease area is planted by coal companies on their own

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• Impacts due to coal mining over forests & non-forest lands –

Losses

– Forest lands are lost to coal mining Gains

– Non-forest lands along with funds are made available to SFDs for carrying out afforestation

– Density improvement over degraded forest lands is done

– Coal companies create plantations over mined out areas

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

• From 2013-14 to 2032-33 – – Loss of forest land will increase from a present level of

75,934 ha to 191,881 ha

– Availability of non-forest land for developing and declaring forest lands will increase from the present level of 11,390 ha to 28,782 ha

– Opportunities for improving density over degraded forest lands will increase from the present level of 129,088 ha to 326,198 ha

– Plantations carried out by coal companies should also increase from the present level of 77,218 ha to 195,126 ha

– Coal companies have the potential to create plantations over land areas more than the diverted forest lands

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IMPACT OF COAL MINING ON FORESTS….

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Forest Land Converted to Coal Mines (ha)

Afforestation over Non-forest Lands (ha)

Density Improvement Over Degraded ForestLands (ha)

Afforestation by Coal Companies (ha)

ISSUES & CHALLENGES

• Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

• Forest Rights Act, 2006

• The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013

• Poor utilization of funds & poor survival of plantations

– SFDs

– Coal companies

• Plantation vis-à-vis eco-restoration (replacement of same Forest Type Group)

• Involvement of local communities in creating and managing plantations

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WAY FORWARD

• Ground realities – • India’s dependency on coal is going to increase in years to come

• Increased pressure for diversion of more & more forest land for coal mining purpose

• Electricity generation (coal production) – has direct social, economic & political implications

• Forestry & climate change – social, economic & political implications are either very little or non-existent

• Business entities have a louder voice as compared to forestry sector

• PSUs can muster higher political support as compared to State Forest Departments / MoEF

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WAY FORWARD….

• A plot of the HDI versus electricity use per capita for different countries in 2010

• India had a HDI of 0.56 and an average electricity use of 700 kWh/capita•yr

• Globally, average electricity use is 2100 kWh/capita•yr and HDI is 0.7

• India accounts for about one-sixth of the world’s population, but only 5% of the primary energy use

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WAY FORWARD….

• Table depicts comparison of key energy statistics for selected countries

• In most parts of India utilities are forced to exercise load shedding for a few hours during a day

• During the 13th plan period (2013–2017) the projected additional installed electricity capacity is 118,000 MW, this includes an additional capacity of 69,000 MW of coal-fired power plants

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WAY FORWARD….

What can be the way forward?

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WAY FORWARD….

• Strategic level – • Establish robust communication with your stakeholders

• Forest policy vis-à-vis policy for other sector (especially large land based projects)

• Forest laws vis-à-vis laws in other sectors

• Building business / economic / finance aspect in forestry sector

• Direct contribution to economy vis-à-vis burden on economy due to loss of eco-system services

• Identification of violate / in-violate forest areas

• Operational level – • Establish robust communication with your stakeholders

• Create, establish & involve business houses in protecting, increasing forest wealth / cover

• Win-win partnership with communities 33

CONCLUSION

• This presentation / interaction is an attempt in experience sharing with reference to impacts of coal mining on climate change and risk to various Forest Type Groups

• The world is changing and so is the need for the forestry sector to change

• Present time is opportune to create and implement a win-win scenario for infrastructure development and forestry sector

• It is easy to achieve, only requires intention & willingness

• Choice is ours

• We make choices and by doing so we shape our future

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THANK YOU

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