Coal is colonial, coal destroys ecosystems and communities, and coal is a climate killer. Across Europe, governments are implementing coal phase-outs and closing down hard coal mines.
At the same time, Europe continues to import hard coal, outsourcing the destruction of ecosystems and communities to Russia, Colombia, and elsewhere.
This book highlights the colonial entanglements of coal and warns of false green solutions – relying on hydrogen for ‘green steel’, for instance, and on renewables for ‘clean electricity’ – that don’t challenge colonialism, capitalism, and the state. It centres the voices of affected communities and warns of ‘false green solutions’.
„Still Burning – Coal, Colonialism and Resistance“ is a critique of the coal supply chains to Europe. The book uses first-hand accounts of residents in the mining regions, e.g. in Russia and Colombia, to describe the colonial continuities of the coal industry and the social and environmental disasters they cause. „Still burning“ concludes with an analysis of „false solutions“ for the energy system like nuclear power and hydrogen, arguing that a reduction in energy consumption is the only way.