Wealthy nations may be able to afford to wean themselves off the combustible carbon, but in Pakistan, that is already burdened by debt, coal remains the cheap fallback.
The switch from an electricity system supplied by large fossil fuel plants that run virtually uninterrupted to a more haphazard mix of smaller, intermittent renewable sources will need batteries to store energy.
International investors in coal often claim they are only funding coal projects countries want, but citizens have indicated a clear preference for clean energy.
You know it's time to shut shop when companies like Glencore, largest supplier of thermal coal to global market, promise to put a cap on coal production.
For an industry globally classified as hazardous, protections such as health insurance and a provident fund for workers are necessities. In Sivakasi, they remain elusive.
The industry forecasts exports are set to grow 16% in 2025-26, boosted by surplus domestic production and a drive to push into 26 underserved global markets with strong potential.
Indigenisation level will progressively increase up to 60 percent with key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts being manufactured locally.
It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
COMMENTS