The Death of King Coal and the Scars of Deindustrialization

The post-war collapse of the British coal industry was one of the most dramatic episodes of deindustrialisation in modern Britain and one of the largest energy transitions of the twentieth century, yet its human costs remain poorly documented. Leveraging the first longitudinal studies ever conducted, which follow individuals born in 1958 and 1970, we provide the first systematic evidence on its lifelong consequences. Children directly exposed to the shock had worse health throughout life, and this effect transmitted over generations. They were also raised in less privileged economic conditions and accumulated less wealth as adults. Our findings document that in the absence of targeted support, the transition away from coal imposed long-lasting human costs on the communities left behind. Few people moved, and those who did still kept a scar.