Can we and should we reopen UK coal mines in the light of increasing international demand?

Question

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,563502,00.html

Answer 1

Why not open up a factory to manufacture wind turbines or solar power--instead of wasting money on obsolete technology?

Answer 2

they are doing exactly that - in the midlands and wales coal mines are reopening.

Answer 3

It I dont think it will happen

The amount of accidents and deaths that happen in the tunnels would bankrupt any company in todays litigation and health and safety work place

Its a different society now, to then

Answer 4

Most of them would be unusable because of flooding, natural decay etc.  I wonder if anyone these days would choose to do such a dangerous job?  I know that many miners wanted their sons to have good educations so that they could get decent jobs and not have to follow their fathers into the pits.

Answer 5

It would be a good idea, though the problem would be flooding etc, especially where I come from county durham, we had the largest coalfied in the world until the 1980s.

Answer 6

Yes. What was considered economically unviable 20 years ago,is not necessarily so today. We still have a large reserve of coal.

We should also be making further inroads to less polluting technology.

Answer 7

Yes.   Yes.