Without at least 'some' coal fired power generation the simple plain truth is that the developed and developing world would very quickly run out of energy. Renewable energy has its place, and an expanding one at that, but the pragmatic reality is that coal has to remain an integral part of the 'power generation mix' for the foreseeable future.
Electricity would soon become prohibitively expensive and economies would disintegrate if coal was suddenly and not gradually taken out of the mix. No doubt solar and wind power, but particularly solar, offer oodles of potential in the years to come as technological advances result in more effective ways to harness it more productively.
Big energy companies in Australia have already made a mild transition towards broadening their energy mix, as lopsided as it remains towards favouring coal.
But it's a start, and by 2030, chances are that with or without a binding legislative renewable energy target that energy companies will have gone a long way towards meeting that target.
The Greens and the vocal anti-fossil fuel fringe who think that coal is evil and are basically demanding that all coal fired power stations be closed down by tomorrow have to start applying some common sense and rationale.
It's not going to happen, because it cant happen. Their zero tolerance for any fossil fuels is starry eyed impractical idealism which is politically naïve to the cold hard realities of what is required to meet minimum rock bottom energy demands and what is currently on offer to generate it.
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