The inevitable drive towards a clean, green, emissions-free future means that the Australian coal industry must be left by the roadside to wither away, right? This narrative was underlined by the IPCC report released in early August with yet another stern warning that unless the world cleans up its fossil fuel act that it is doomed to a fiery death, and reiterated by the UN’s top climate adviser Selwin Hart in a rant to the ANU.