The burning issue

Few now dispute that coal is key to a clean energy future

AS the climate change debate moves from the abstract to the concrete, the clean coal sceptics are slowly being mugged by reality. The facts are that almost a quarter of world energy demand is fuelled by coal and 39 per cent of the world’s electricity is generated in coal-fired power stations. It is impossible to imagine a smooth international transition to a carbon-constrained economy without finding cleaner ways to burn coal.

The latest high-profile environmentalist to come around to that view is Tim Flannery who, in an interview with Andrew Denton on ABC TV on Monday, made a passionate plea for research into carbon capture and storage. China and India have invested so heavily in coal-fired power plants that the only option is to pursue a solution that incorporates coal. “What we need really is a way of burning coal that doesn’t cause the pollution,” Flannery said. “Australia with its great interest in an ongoing coal business needs to start funding those technologies and hopefully making the technology free to places like China.”

The Australian