Letter from chief editor

As a country with abundant coal, lean oil and scarce gas, China has been depended too much on coal. Coal accounts for about 66 % (www.zgmt.com.cn) of primary energy consumption of China in 2013. China’s raw coal output totaled 3.6 billion tons, but coal consumption approximated 4 billion tons, 47.4 % and 50.3 % of the world’s gross coal output and consumption separately (www.BP.com). America, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Poland, Russia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam are also big coal producers. According to IEA projections, the world’s coal production and consumption will continue to increase in the future 20 years. The production and use of coal couldn’t be possible without successful efforts to study and solve a series of scientific and technological problems and to exchange and summarize the results, experiences and lessons in the research and engineering process. Journal of Coal Science & Engineering (China), as the technological exchange platform on coal development, published by China Coal Society, already fails to address the current demands of domestic coal science & technology circle. So it’s urgent to shift the fields of academic exchange from the previous stress on coal exploration and development to coal conversion, efficient use and environmental protection. After two years’ preparation, this new journal: International Journal of Coal Science & Technology (JCST), is established. This academic journal will be the first publication which focuses purely on one of the current crucial global topics, coal science and technology. JCST will publish original, high-quality, peer-reviewed research or review articles dealing with coal science and technology, mainly including: