General Studies · Passage and Conclusion

Read the passage carefully and review the statement based on it. Passage: At a ceremony, the miners of Prosper-Hanil mine of Germany provided a piece of black coal to their country's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during the announcement of the closure of the country's last black coal mine. However, this does not mean that Germany will be completely coal-free: Germany will continue to import cheap foreign coal. Coal-free mining only means that there will be no coal drilling, blasting, collection, and transportation, which is a major factor in environmental pollution. Germany's decision to close the last black coal mine is to meet its carbon emission goals. Apart from this, the closure of coal shafts in Germany does not mean the immediate complete closure of lignite (brown coal) mining, as lignite mining is cheaper although it is considered more polluting than black coal. Transitioning away from coal in a phased manner can limit global warming, but countries like India and China still require cheap fuel to promote economic growth. Statement: Germany has completely stopped the mining of all forms of lignite coal along with black coal. Select the correct conclusion regarding the statement: