Abstract
Coal is today one of the most important energy sources of the world, second only to oil. But the use of coal raises several issues. First there's the issue of energy supply. In a globalized world with mass production, the energy supply must be abundant and the energy must be as cheap as possible to keep costs down. Can coal be a competitive energy and continue to fuel economic growth as it allowed the industrial revolution in Great Britain at the turn of the 19th century ? But economic aspects are not the only approach to energy policy; energy production raises environmental and social issues as well.
How do the different energy sources compare in terms of pollution, contribution to global warming? Are all these energy sources as safe to produce for the workers involved? As we enter an era of sustainable development, the energy of the future must meet different expectations and not only economic ones. Therefore can we consider coal an energy of the future, that can both contributes to economic prosperity and respect the environment and populations?
