Policymakers will have to balance the global demand for coal with climate change mitigation. Photo: Heath Wade IT'S a disconnection most policymakers seem loath to confront: global demand for fossil fuels, especially coal, is forecast to grow strongly and yet carbon emissions will have to peak soon if dangerous climate change is to be avoided. The release of the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook this week provided the latest update to this stark discrepancy. The IEA, a body representing mostly energy importing nations, noted demand for coal rose 5.6 per cent in 2011 and is now 55 per cent higher than 10 years ago. In fact, coal met 45 per cent of the growth in global energy...
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