Richard Spoor, who spearheaded the R5bn silicosis class action settlement against South Africa's gold sector, is now targeting the coal industry over occupational lung disease. It comes as the coal industry is increasingly being deprived of the oxygen called capital that it needs to survive. That may make for a faster settlement after the sector coined it last year.

The application for certification of a class action against South32, BHP Billiton and Seriti Power by coal miners who contracted incurable lung diseases was filed on 15 August by South African human rights lawyer Richard Spoor. Glencore, Exxaro and Anglo Coal (now Thungela Resources) are next in line.

It seeks "legal remedies for sick miners and the families of workers who died due to coal mine dust lung disease in the form of pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease". The case was initiated by the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference.

It's early days yet, but this could prove to be another nail in the coffin of an industry that is increasingly being deprived of the oxygen called capital that it needs to survive.

The coal sector has been a driving force behind industrialisation since the late 18th century, drawing on a fossil fuel that captured solar energy hundreds of millions of years ago. It is also one of the key drivers of the rapidly changing climate that is currently burning our planet, which is why a growing number of banks are unwilling to fund new coal projects as the global economy seeks to decarbonise.

The scorched lungs of mineworkers, who...