A recent Sun editorial objected to the use of the term "clean coal" and argues for a future without coal ("About that clean coal business," Oct. 11).
This argument makes a small point to ignore the larger truth that coal presently plays — and will continue to play — a dominant role in meeting energy needs around the world.
Whether you call coal-producing methods "clean" or not, the development of technologies that continue to make coal use more environmentally friendly benefits everyone.
Extraordinary progress has been made toward that end. Thanks to the use of a range of technologies — scrubbers, supercritical and ultra-supercritical combustion and coal gasification — the use of coal for electricity generation is cleaner than ever.
More than 90 percent of coal-fired power plants have installed advanced emission controls and sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide particulates and mercury emissions are down 90 percent.
But work remains to tackle carbon emissions. Beyond what exists today, there are technologies under development that can capture carbon dioxide emissions from the use of fossil fuels. Given the right investment, development and policy support these technologies could be game-changers for the future.
In fact, research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that meeting the target of keeping global warming to less that 2°C could actually be impossible without them.
Rather than debate terminology, a responsible path forward requires combined action from industry and government to further the use and development of advanced coal technologies that benefit the world.
Hal Quinn, Washington
The writer is president and CEO of the National Mining Association.