Science & Technology

The Human Cost of Coal Mining in China | Xiaojun “Tom” Wang | TED

Xiaojun “Tom” Wang grew up in the Chinese province of Shanxi, the world’s largest coal producer. Each year, more than a billion tons of coal are dug out of Shanxi’s mountains, and the impacts are devastating — from massive landslides to damaged cultural sites and threats to human health. Wang illuminates the need for sustainable…

Published

on

Xiaojun “Tom” Wang grew up in the Chinese province of Shanxi, the world’s largest coal producer. Each year, more than a billion tons of coal are dug out of Shanxi’s mountains, and the impacts are devastating — from massive landslides to damaged cultural sites and threats to human health. Wang illuminates the need for sustainable alternatives to protect the environment and ancestral homes, underscoring the rich heritage and untapped potential of provinces like his own.

If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas:

Follow TED!
X:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:

The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

Watch more:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: . For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

#TED #TEDTalks #China

39 Comments

  1. @Ahero0fAfrica-6789

    April 3, 2024 at 8:05 am

    “Kenya and Germany share strong historic ties and considerable interests especially in trade, investment, environmental conservation and industrial promotion. We will build on these relations to benefit our people.

    On the sidelines of the “G20 Compact with Africa” conference in Berlin, held talks with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz who pledged to support of Kenya’s mission to Haiti and peace in the Horn of Africa.”
    —William Samoei Ruto 🇰🇪
    President of the Republic of Kenya

  2. @EdwardLawrence-12345

    April 3, 2024 at 8:12 am

    _the humane thread that binds people who are required or compelled to pay attention to people who are obliged by circumstance or prefer by disposition to let the always-cacophonous parade go by, is hope. -Andrew Mitrovica_ 🇨🇦

  3. @EdwardLawrence-12345

    April 3, 2024 at 8:14 am

    Don’t change just to be accepted by others. Be you. The world will adjust. If you are faithful to being who you truly are, you will attract like-minded souls. You will also free yourself from certain negative people whom you have little in common. Good things will begin to happen and it won’t be a coincidence.

    • @EdwardLawrence-12345

      April 3, 2024 at 8:15 am

      Make a promise to yourself that you will stop worrying about people who don’t like you. They’re not important. They are not meant to be in your life so don’t let them in your mind. Concentrate on the people who love you and appreciate you. Move away from people and situations that disturb your peace of mind and self-respect. It’s time to stop listening so much to others and start listening to your intuition. Before you attempt to gain the trust of others, you must become confident that you can trust yourself. You already have what you’re searching for. It’s inside you. People, places and things can’t bring you happiness that lasts. You have to find that yourself.
      Today’s a perfect day to break your slump. Start by walking away from anything or anyone who is dragging you down. The best revenge is to quietly and confidently improve yourself. Let people see what they missed. Miracles start to happen when we give as much energy to our dreams as we do our fears.

  4. @ShahrezadNorMohammadiy9116

    April 3, 2024 at 8:17 am

    ‘I would like to leave you all with a call to action: to invest in the missing 50% of our human asset base—the potential of our women—and unleash their power for good.’

    —Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J Mohammed, during her nmal speech on November 25, 2017

  5. @ShahrezadNorMohammadiy9116

    April 3, 2024 at 8:20 am

    “If we think of the Crucifixion only in historical terms, we lose the reference of the symbol immediately to ourselves. Jesus left his mortal body on the cross, the sign of the earth, to go to the Father with whom he was one. We, similarly, are to identify with the eternal life that is within us. The symbol at the same time tells us of God’s willing acceptance of the cross – that is to say, of participation in the trials and sorrows of human life in the world. So that He is here within us – not by way of a fall or a mistake, but with rapture and joy. Thus the cross has a dual sense – one, our going to the divine, and the other, of the divine coming to us. It is a true cross-ing.

    • @ShahrezadNorMohammadiy9116

      April 3, 2024 at 8:20 am

      “What has always been basic to resurrection, or Easter, is crucifixion. If you want to resurrect, you must have crucifixion. Too many interpretations of the Crucifixion have failed to emphasize that. They emphasize the calamity of the event. And if you emphasize calamity, then you look for someone to blame. That is why people have blamed the Jews for it. But it is not a calamity if it leads to new life. Through the Crucifixion we are unshelled, we are able to be born to resurrection. That is not a calamity. We must look freshly at this so that its symbolism can be sensed.

  6. @AyuCell-Intan

    April 3, 2024 at 8:23 am

    TED…❤

    “Hope” is the thing with feathers
    That perches in the soul
    And sings the tune without the words
    And never stops at all…
    *—Emily Dickinson❤️*

    • @AyuCell-Intan

      April 3, 2024 at 8:24 am

      Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.
      —Friedrich Nietzsche

      *• Book:* Human, All-Too-Human

  7. @AyuCell-Intan

    April 3, 2024 at 8:26 am

    TED…❤

    At the end of the day, we all have a sense of hope in our hearts.

    A certain hope that all of our dreams come true and that all of our prayers will be answered at the right moment in time.

    A hope that we can become a better version of ourselves through growth that transcend the point at which we felt naive, needy, and frail.

    A hope that one day it will all make sense, and that all of the breakdowns that are currently taking place are preparing us for a memorable breakthrough. Most importantly, That hope that causes us to look in the mirror and remind ourselves that this is the life we wanted and that we can be proud and kinder to ourselves.

    Recognize that all is possible with God, regardless of the hope you currently have within. Someday, the tears you shed will prove that you persevered through the difficulties, suffering, and frustration you faced. You can do it!

  8. @AyuCell-Intan

    April 3, 2024 at 8:29 am

    TED…❤

    “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.”— Anais Nïn

    • @AyuCell-Intan

      April 3, 2024 at 8:29 am

      Hope is the power that gives a person the confidence to step out and try.

  9. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    April 3, 2024 at 8:43 am

    👩🏼‍🎓🇨🇳
    “If we are to build a democracy worthy of the name, then we shall have to ensure that it brings real material improvements in the lives of the majority of South Africans whose poverty is the legacy of their oppression.”
    ~Nelson Mandela
    speaking at the University of Beijing, Beijing, China, 6 May 1999

    • @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

      April 3, 2024 at 8:44 am

      👩🏼‍🎓🇯🇵
      “Reconciliation was not an afterthought or an add-on of our struggle and our eventual triumph. It was always imbedded in our struggle. Reconciliation was a means of struggle as much as it was the end goal of our struggle.”
      ~Nelson Mandela
      speaking at a Conference of the International Women’s Forum, Tokyo, Japan, 30 January 2003

  10. @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

    April 3, 2024 at 8:45 am

    👩🏼‍🎓TED❤

    “Our people have the right to hope, the right to a future, the right to life itself. No power on this earth can destroy the thirst for human dignity. Our land cries out for peace. We will only achieve it through adherence to democratic principles and respect for the rights of all.”
    ~Nelson Mandela

    • @tka-tpa-prapatankalisari45192

      April 3, 2024 at 8:45 am

      👩🏼‍🎓TED❤️

      “Our hopes for a more just, safe, and peaceful world can only be achieved when there is universal respect for the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family.”
      –Former UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

  11. @Travel-Rizma

    April 3, 2024 at 8:51 am

    *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

    _The past is past; nothing can change it. But the future depends on the present; we still have the opportunity to shape it. This is not a matter of employing technology or spending more money, it’s a question of developing a sense of concern for others’ well-being. We need to show each other affection; to be sensible, warm-hearted, more compassionate human beings. This twenty-first century should be an era of peace, and yet it will not be achieved by releasing a few doves, but by developing inner peace within ourselves. It will take non-violent action to make this an era of peace._

    ─ His Holiness *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

  12. @Travel-Rizma

    April 3, 2024 at 8:52 am

    *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

    _It is often said that the world is becoming smaller, and from the twentieth century onward the people of this world have almost become a single community. This little planet where we humans live is our only home. If we want to protect our home each of us must possess a sense of universal responsibility. This alone has the power to negate adverse traits such as selfishness, deceiving others, abuse, and so on. There will be no need to be afraid. Life becomes meaningful, and households, communities, and nations, large and small, become happier. The key to it all is the development of compassion._

    ─ His Holiness *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

  13. @Travel-Rizma

    April 3, 2024 at 8:52 am

    *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

    _We all want a happy life and we have a right to achieve it. Therefore, instead of quarrelling, we should help each other. This is the basis of our human values, whether we have any spiritual faith or not. We are biologically equipped to be kind and compassionate by our mother’s care, which owes nothing to religion or education, but education can strengthen these values within us. Unfortunately, sometimes modern education pays more attention to the secondary differences between us, rather than the uniting common factors._

    ─ His Holiness *Dalai Lama* ✍️🌿

  14. @Rusty1220

    April 3, 2024 at 9:05 am

    The modern world was built with coal. Where will all these people work if no coal mines exist.

    • @TheWasthereonce

      April 3, 2024 at 12:22 pm

      Oil or natural gas. Making solar panels. Making wind turbines. Producing cleaner power than where they are currently.

      Net zero is a privileged fantasy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move incrementally towards less pollution, even if it means moving to fracking for oil in the interim. Teach people how to manage it and do it better. Just something better than coal.

    • @darinherrick9224

      April 5, 2024 at 2:29 pm

      One of the biggest problems in the world is that the world cannot sustain so many people working.

      The amount of work being done needs to be reduced by something like 80% to sustain the world.

      If every person in the U.S. had the same standard of living as the 1960s, only 8 hours of work per week would be needed.

      Most jobs don’t actually do anything. In China it’s so bad they pay people to stand by a door and open it ever time someone needs to walk through, or stand next to a pencil sharpener all day and sharpen your pencils for you.

      The alternative is to pay people a living wage to do nothing and let them do what they wish in a non-detrimental way.

      If we have the entire world full of artists and writers and explorers and inventors I’m perfectly fine with that.

    • @Rusty1220

      April 5, 2024 at 11:21 pm

      Coal is a totally natural product. It was made from sun light, water, assembled into coal, with the plants genetics. Modern coal plants use high temperatures for complete combustion, then scrubbers are used to remove sulfur, and other impurities. The remaining exhaust is co2 being returned to the sky from which it originally came from many years ago. This new co2 is again consumed by our forests and modern crops as plant food to continue the cycle of life.

  15. @Kenneth_James

    April 3, 2024 at 9:18 am

    Sorry bud but China isn’t moving away from coal anytime soon. Some of this stuff he’s repeating are straight up CCP propaganda. Maybe he has to tow the line in order to continue working to improve the province.

  16. @blueowlwill8754

    April 3, 2024 at 9:51 am

    There are many human sacrifices in China, it’s called slavery..for just about everything there. It’s heart breaking and I understand why so many are fleeing China

  17. @crazynigrafagratard2724

    April 3, 2024 at 10:04 am

    nuclear power. coal ban.

  18. @thanhduy7246

    April 3, 2024 at 11:37 am

    the map of the china sea is completely wrong !!!

  19. @remyllebeau77

    April 3, 2024 at 12:21 pm

    Everything the CCP of China says is a lie. They aren’t trying to go green, they’ve been ramping up coal production and demand the whole time. Their building projects are a disgrace called tofu construction.

  20. @superpowerdragon

    April 3, 2024 at 12:38 pm

    lisp?

  21. @CyberCheese392

    April 3, 2024 at 1:19 pm

    China is doing a lot worse things than lying about getting rid of coal. China knows this video is ust serves to overload people with info, to obfuscate, because look at how many bots they are putting in the comments.

  22. @MCR0709

    April 3, 2024 at 2:41 pm

    Chinese are sacrificing their life for their nation similar to Americans sacrificed their life in armies in wars.

  23. @FueledbyJohn

    April 3, 2024 at 11:28 pm

    Interesting talk, thank you.

  24. @Dorgon_HetuAla

    April 4, 2024 at 8:52 am

    他竟然说英语。 真滑稽。

  25. @andycordy5190

    April 4, 2024 at 9:05 am

    As a child, I remember vividly the horror of Aberfan.
    Too often, in the west, we think of China as a country, as a machine and not as communities and individuals with emotions who have to deal with the consequences of what the machine has done to the landscape and the people.
    I found this talk very moving. Thank you.

  26. @onesustainablechoice

    April 4, 2024 at 12:07 pm

    Great testimony! Unfortunately, we have many promises and few actions when it comes to reducing coal use.

  27. @user-sp7yy9zs7m

    April 4, 2024 at 7:49 pm

    Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam

    • @lijack6960

      April 6, 2024 at 7:13 am

      But Vietnam belong to China

  28. @mikerussell3298

    April 5, 2024 at 1:51 am

    Hi Tom here is a news flash “Coal mining is hard dirty and dangerous wherever it was and is mined ” try comparing the cost in death and long term illness in Western history before you single out CHINA .

  29. @kindog86

    April 5, 2024 at 9:47 am

    Dont walk near any open windows pal. Bravely outspoken+ CCP = gravity

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version