In 2009, the term “21st Century Coal” was jointly coined by the governments of China and the United States to describe the importance of strategic international partnerships to advance development of near-zero emissions (NZE) technology enabling clean energy solutions from coal (OPS, 2009)....

In declaring 2012 the international year of sustainable energy for all, the United Nations (UN) general assembly (2011) established at the personal initiative of the UN secretary general- three global objectives to be accomplished by 2030. Those goals are to ensure universal access to modern...