Facing coal: changing conceptions of South African coal-based pollution, with special reference to the Witbank coalfield, 1906-1978

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Dissertation / thesis

Title:	Facing coal: changing conceptions of South African coal-based pollution, with special reference to the Witbank coalfield, 1906-1978
Author:	Singer, Michal
Year:	2011
Issue:	31
Pages:	109
Language:	English
Series:	African Studies Collection (ISSN 1876-0198)
City of publisher:	Leiden
Publisher:	African Studies Centre
ISBN:	9789054481034
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	pollution coal mining attitudes environmental history theses (form)
External link:	https://hdl.handle.net/1887/17682
Abstract:	This thesis provides an environmental history of changing ideas around South African coal-based pollution, focusing on the Witbank coalfield in Mpumalanga Province, where the scars of mining are etched deep into the land. The essence of the book is its link between local and global repercussions of past and present reliance on fossil fuel consumption. The historical approach seeks to demonstrate the way in which long-term environmental effects of coal have manifested, and reveals how, in spite of what is now known about coal-based pollution, our understanding remains fraught with misrepresentation and prevarication. The thesis, therefore, opens up the enigma surrounding the environmental impact of coal mining in South Africa. [Book abstract]