Abstract: The safe, green, efficient and low-carbon coal mining is the common goal of surface coal mines around the world. The development intensity and ecological carrying capacity of surface coal mine resources in China show the reverse development characteristics, and the vulnerable ecological environment areas in northwest China have become the main surface coal production areas, which makes surface coal mining and ecological environment protection become important scientific problems, ecological problems and development problems to be solved urgently. On the basis of the development situation, natural conditions and main influencing factors of surface coal mines, the connotation characteristics and overall structure of realizing the safe-green-efficiency-low-carbon mining of surface coal mines were explained. Aiming at the characteristics of the whole life cycle of pre-mining, mid-mining and post-mining of surface coal mines, in terms of four levels: safe mining technology, green mining technology, efficient mining technology and low-carbon mining technology, this paper puts forward eight key technologies including the time-limited slope control technology, the intelligent early warning decision-making technology, the new mode of transportation link, the ecological construction of mining area, the coordinated mining of adjacent mines, the intelligent mining design, the application of electric mining trucks and the ecological damage reduction at mining sources. The key work and direction of safe-green-high efficiency-low carbon cooperative mining in surface coal mines are clarified. In terms of the measures of safety-green-efficiency-low carbon co-development, regarding strengthening a top-level design, accelerating the distributed implementation, enhancing key researches, promoting personnel training, and improving standards and regulations, the paper proposes the target tasks to be accomplished in different stages in 2025, 2030 and 2035. In the new era, surface coal mines should firmly follow the development path of safe-green-high efficiency-low carbon, and realizes the high-quality development goal of surface coal mines.