Cheap coal is a threat to global climate.
Coal-fired power plants are responsible for the lions share of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions every year (~8 out of ~28 billion tonnes).
“In virtually any scenario that we've explored, coal use increases – even when you place a substantial price on CO2 emissions.”
Page 14. 17 March 2007 New Scientist
Given that coal generates the most CO2 per unit energy of any fossil fuel, the implications for climate change are serious.
We need to immediately stop building coal-fired power stations that do not sequester their CO2!