And as the various groups try to justify quantum leaps in energy costs if they replace fossil fuels with expensive and inefficient alternative concepts such as wind and solar, there are many countries which are totally focused on the search for more coal for their domestic needs and for the economic benefits from exports.
Among them are China, India, Korea and Japan.
Since 2000, global coal consumption has grown faster than any other fuel.
The five largest coal users – China, the US, India, Russia and Japan – account for 77% of total global coal use, with Asia accounting for something like 70% of global coal consumption.
There are several factors against eliminating coal from the energy menu.
One is the obvious fact some countries don’t have the luxury of conceptual alternatives and the other is the financial penalty communities will have to incur.
In the US, President Barack Obama’s attack on coal has not only affected coal-fired power stations in America with the industry now generating 33% of US electricity compared to 44.6% a year ago but there are grave fears energy charges are set to skyrocket.
In Australia the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, the carbon tax and continuing pressure on the federal government by the Greens to stop the use of coal is also affecting the future of established coal-fired power stations and the rising price of electricity.
And if you thought the world was ready to turn its back on coal, think again.
There is no sign of a significant decrease in demand and the emphasis has turned to greater efficiency and increased efforts to clean up the coal-fired power stations and steel mills.
The real coal story is the continual search for deposits in countries which are coal friendly.
An example of the lengths some countries will go to is the recent approval for a 25-year tax holiday for the joint venture partners of a thermal power generation project in Sri Lanka.
India’s National Thermal Power Corporation and the Sri Lankan state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board have attracted a great deal of attention both internally and outside the country.
Construction of the $US500 million Sampur coal power station is scheduled to get underway this year.
Based on this project and the support of the Sri Lankan authorities, Sri Lanka is an obvious market for future coal exports but so is its JV partner, India.
According to the World Coal Association, overall international trade in coal reached 1083 million tonnes in 2010 and while this is a significant figure it only accounts for about 16% of total coal consumed.
Most coal is used in the country in which it is produced.
Transportation costs account for a large share of the total delivered price of coal, therefore international trade in steam coal is effectively divided into two regional markets: the Atlantic market, made up of importing countries in western Europe, notably the UK, Germany and Spain; and the Pacific market, which consists of developing and OECD Asian importers, notably Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei.
The Pacific market accounts for about 57% of world seaborne steam coal trade.
Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter. It exported more than 298Mt of hard coal in 2010, out of its total production of 353Mt.
Although international coking coal trade is limited, Australia is also the largest supplier of that product, accounting for 57% of world exports.
The US and Canada are significant exporters and Indonesia is emerging as an important supplier.
So with demand likely to remain – and increase – where will the supply come from in the years ahead?
The answer doesn’t necessarily lie in the country with the most abundant resources.
Other factors such as the political climate, infrastructure and a country’s will to create and maintain a reliable coal mining industry are likely to be crucial to the continued supply of “black gold” to a global demand.