The coal-rich state of Victoria, Australia, is rising to the challenge of climate change. Victoria is a compact state with a population of 5 million people, 25 percent of the total Australian population. While accounting for only 3 percent of Australia's land mass, Victoria represents 25 percent of Australia's economic activity. Although not widely known, Victoria also has the world's second largest reserves of brown coal, which are used almost exclusively for power generation and provide most of the state's electricity. Estimated to total 430 billion t, with recoverable reserves estimated at 33 billion t, Victoria's brown coal is clean, low in 'ash, sulphur and nitrogen, and very low in heavy metals such as mercury. It occurs in exceptionally thick seams (over 100 m in places) under an extremely thin overburden. Estimated to last for 500 years at current extraction rates, it represents a great economic asset to the region.
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