A photograph taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station on March 31 captures a rare cloud-free glimpse of the Panian Coalfield, one of the largest coal mines in Asia and one of three coal operations on Semirara Island in the Philippines. The Semirara Mining Corporation, which operates the coal field, uses open-pit methods in which rock and soil are removed to reach coal seams below. In this image, released by NASA, several huge piles of rock and other mining debris can be seen ringing the northern half of the pit, with the dark coal seams visible along the southern wall of the mine. Also visible are plumes of sediment emanating from the piles of rock and soil — known as “overburden” — into the Sulu Sea off the island’s northern coast. In recent years the mining company has denied allegations that waste from the coal operation has contaminated or damaged the island’s coastal areas. The island is located about 174 miles south of Manila.

Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360