Coal upgrading technology upgraded brown coal can compete in the export market at comparable prices to black coal. With significant levels of brown coal mining occurring around the world, and mining levels increasing, the need for coal upgrading technologies has become more apparent. the technologies will help to address global environmental concern of rising emissions from the burning of brown coal and provide alternative fuel options to rapidly emerging economies such as Vietnam that face difficulty competing for black coal with China, India, Japan and other nations. Because of inherent high moisture content, all lignites need to be dried prior to combustion. Depending
Environmental impact of the coal industry This is due to the relaxation of pressure and fracturing of the strata during mining activity, which gives rise to safety concerns for the coal miners if not managed properly. The buildup of pressure in the strata can lead to explosions during (or after) the mining process if prevention methods, such as "methane draining", are not taken. In 2008 James E. Hansen and Pushker Kharecha published a peer-reviewed scientific study analyzing the effect of a coal phase-out on atmospheric CO levels. Their baseline mitigation scenario was a phaseout of global coal emissions by 2050. Under the "Business as Usual" scenario,