In Poland, burned coal drives power plants, industry, home heating systems. It underpins the public and private sectors. In turn, air quality is subject to reliance on coal. The climate changes.
And the future of postindustrial cities hangs in the balance. I live Polish Upper Silesia, where coal is still mined. I understand first-hand how a fossil-fuel economy impacts people’s lives: their jobs, their environment. But I have also witnessed these phenomena from another perspective. I know how a vein of coal looks like. I have beheld its unsettling allure in corridors deep underground. I have felt the grind of orogeny. But on the other hand I can see and feel the consequences of coal mining. Changing landscape, crocked houses and air that becomes visible during the winter time.