Because Coal mining and Coal burning is a non-renewable power source, why don’t we shut down the Coal mining industry and use wind power or solar power or waterpower because there are so many other cleaner options?

Indeed, why don't we?!

Burning fossil fuels like coal to provide electricity will soon be a thing of the past. Because we now know that they create harmful carbon-dioxide emission, all around the world, coal-fired power stations are being shut down, and new renewable energy industries are being created in their place.

But if you look at Australia, most states are still mostly powered by fossil fuels. Tasmania is a stand-out here - we have almost 100% renewable energy already thanks to our hydropower system. But in Victoria and New South Wales, we still have coal-fired power stations, and governments do not want them to close any time soon. Why not? There are two main reasons. The first is that if we shut them down now, we wouldn't have enough renewable energy sources to provide the electricity we need in their place. The second is that many people have jobs in the coal mining and coal power industries, and if we closed them down tomorrow, whole towns could be out of work.

What we need to do in Australia, and other countries that still burn coal, is to plan a transition from coal to renewables over the next few years. This will help to both replace coal with things like wind, solar and hydropower, and make sure that there are new jobs for people who have historically worked in the coal industry. Doing this sooner rather than later will be better for the planet and for Australia's economy.