BHP said it would seek responses from the World Coal Association over policy differences before making a final decision on whether to quit in March 2018.
Coal may have fallen out of favor in North America and Europe, but India and other Asian nations ensure the dirtiest fossil fuel continues as energy supply.
Newcastle, the world’s largest coal export port, must “urgently” diversify its traffic, the port’s incoming chairman has said, warning that the “long-term outlook for coal is a threat to the port”.
Creation of digital bitcoins by computer networks has real-world consequences in form of massive energy use, including fuels that cause most pollution.