Environment Carrying Capacity Evaluation of Coal Mining in Shanxi Province

Abstract

China will meet an increasing demand of the energy because of the growth of the economy, coal is being mined largely as the most important energy, but the mining brought in a series of construction of ecological environment problems. This paper established a comprehensive evaluation model for environmental impact of coal mining through three aspects of ecological stability, resource and environment carrying capacity, coal mining pressure with analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Based on this model, authors have evaluated the regional difference of ecological environment carrying capacity of coal mining areas in Shanxi province. The study results may be helpful to scientifically draw up the coal resources development strategy.