Despite big promises to move rapidly away from coal, the “dirtiest fossil fuel”, many countries around the world continue to rely heavily on coal production and imports for their energy needs. This is not surprising from the likes of China and Australia, who make no secret of their reliance on coal, but is more worrying when coming from European states that just last year announced aims of weaning themselves off coal by the middle of the decade. An increase in coal production, import and export figures this summer suggests that the…
