Coal mining remains vital for Longyearbyen’s economy

A new study shows that Longyearbyen will depend on coal mining for a long time into the future. Even if activities within both research/higher education and tourism were doubled, they could not replace mining, which creates several hundred local jobs, both directly and indirectly. A loss of these jobs would lead to significant loss of other functions including important public services (school, …), according to a study now published by NIBR (Norsk Institutt für by- og regionforskning = Norwegian institute for city and regional research). 

Source: Norsk Institutt by og regionforskning