World Coal Institute
Encyclopedia
The World Coal Institute (WCI) changed its name to World Coal Association (WCA) in November 2010.
The World Coal Association is a non-profit, non-governmental association, funded by coal enterprises and stakeholders.
The World Coal Association represents the coal
industry in international energy and environmental policy and research discussions. The WCA undertakes lobbying, organises workshops and provides coal information to decision makers, the general public and educational organisations on the benefits and issues surrounding the use of coal.
The World Coal Association is operated by a London-based secretariat.
The World Coal Association is a non-profit, non-governmental association, funded by coal enterprises and stakeholders.
The World Coal Association represents the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
industry in international energy and environmental policy and research discussions. The WCA undertakes lobbying, organises workshops and provides coal information to decision makers, the general public and educational organisations on the benefits and issues surrounding the use of coal.
WCA Objectives
- Represent the coal industry in international policy discussions on energy and the environment.
- Promote the use of clean coal technologiesClean coal technologyClean coal technology is a collection of technologies being developed to reduce the environmental impact of coal energy generation. When coal is used as a fuel source, the gaseous emmissions generated by the thermal decomposition of the coal, include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon...
to improve the environmental performance of coal.
- Highlight the role affordable and abundant coal resources play in a world concerned with energy securityEnergy securityEnergy security is a term for an association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led...
.
- Provide information to decision-makers and opinion formers to ensure they are fully informed of the contribution of coal to social and economic development.
- Distribute information on the importance of coal as the single largest source of fuel for electricity generationElectricity generationElectricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
, and its role in other industries – including steel production, cement manufacturing, chemicals and liquid fuels.
- Work with other key organisations within the international coal industry, to coordinate actions and maximise resources to improve the performance and perception of coal worldwide.
- Address misconceptions about coal through the production and dissemination of information resources.
WCA activities
- Lobbying, policy development and contributing to discussions on issues impacting the coal community.
- Creating international partnerships between the coal industry and important international agencies and participating in a wide range of influential bodies including:
- Organising policy workshops with key government representatives, industry and international organisations.
- Information production and dissemination via a website – www.worldcoal.org – and various publications:
The World Coal Association is operated by a London-based secretariat.