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May 2016 2 www.coalage.com editor's note Europe's Let-Them-Eat-Cake Moment T he UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) was held during December in Katowice, Poland. This had to be a weird destination for a group that's accustomed to the trap- pings of more chic urban settings and being surrounded by those that understand the urgency of climate change. Katowice is the capital of a European coal production center steeped in history. Unlike the Germans, however, who closed their last bituminous coal mine in December, the Poles still mine a con- siderable amount of coal and they plan to continue to do so. Holding the meeting in Katowice would be similar to holding an anti-coal rally in West Virginia or Australia's Bow- en Basin. Coal provides about 80% of the Poland's power. Per- haps, they thought they could convert them to windmills and solar panels. Addressing a press conference prior to the meeting, Poland's Deputy Energy Minister Grzegorz Tobiszowski said they will likely start investing in another new coal mine next year in Silesia. He reminded the reporters that Poland needs coal and it will either be mined in Poland or imported most likely from Russia. And for their part, the Polish coal operators didn't standby idly either. The state-owned PPG discussed expansion plans for its mines as did JSW, a large Polish met coal producer. Many environmentalists hailed the Katowice meeting as the most important since the Paris Accord. One session of the COP24 conference noted the spread of carbon pricing as a tool for tackling climate change. They must have been ignor- ing the television broadcasts of the yellow vest protestors burning luxury cars on the Champs de Elysee and spray-painting graffiti on the Arche de Triomphe. France burns no coal. It generates power from nuclear power plants, but French President Emmanuel Macron decided to set an example for the world with carbon pricing and fuel taxes. Akin to the cliché, "Let them eat cake," which is often attributed to Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution, Macron shined a light on everything that's wrong with the elitist climate movement. He failed to realize the impact his policy would have on the working class and the Yellow Vests revolted as the cost of living increases for French people, who struggle to make ends meet. Coal is still a vital mineral resource for much of the world. With her report from the Coaltrans meeting in Barcelona, Jennifer Jensen reports on some of the dynam- ics taking place worldwide (See World Markets, p. 30). Also, Gavin du Venage has a piece in World News (See p. 8) that discusses the ridiculous situation with Eskom in South Africa now. With vast coal resources and a purpose-built power generation network, the country and the utility can't seem to get its act together. A great deal of coal heritage and knowledge has been handed down from eastern Europe to other parts of the world. It was the mines in Germany, Poland and Hun- gary that provided power for the industrial revolution. As it is now, coal was equally important and strategic as a source of energy and an ingredient for steel. If you have a chance, you should Google Prosper-Haniel and watch the video of the German coal miners singing with tears in their eyes as the last chunk of coal is brought to the surface from the mine, near Bottrop, Germany. To them and all the coal miners around the world, Coal Age says Glück Auf! www.coalage.com Coal Age, Volume 123, Issue 10, (ISSN 1040-7820) is published monthly ex- cept January and July, by Mining Media International, Inc., 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306, Jacksonville, Florida 32224 (mining-media.com). 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Steve Fiscor, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief sfiscor@mining-media.com BY STEVE FISCOR PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mining Media International, Inc. 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306 Jacksonville, Florida 32224 U.S.A. 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