The Face of Coal

With The Face of Coal, I am showing how embedded coal is in people’s daily lives within and near Dhanbad, the coal capital in Jharkhand, India. Coal is an enigmatic topic: dangerous for workers who extract and process it and, when burned, the number one cause of greenhouse gases resulting in global warming. Most of us never consider that the main use for coal worldwide is to generate electricity and few of us ever come face to face with coal. Though surrounded by it, a limited number of people in and around Dhanbad reap any benefit from coal as most households still lack basic amenities including electricity. I use photography as a way to share information about social and environmental issues. The Face of Coal is one chapter in a long-term project, Climate Change Connected, where I visually connect climate change causes, effects, impacts and solutions globally with the intent of making climate change more relatable on a personal level. Science and data influence which topics I cover and what locations I seek out for the project. Coal Limited India, owned by the Indian government, is the largest coal producer in the world yet approximately 17% of all of India’s households still do not have electricity. When I came face to face with coal I was struck by the extent to which coal is ingrained, both in Dhanbad’s local economy and in personal lives, epitomizing the climate change challenge we are faced with as global demand for energy continues to rise.