Right. Well, who else is getting coal?
Oh, well, let's see. We've got Cameron, Casey, Cassie,
Carol, Kerry.
Oh, gee.
That's a lot of kids on the naughty list.
Oh, no, they're not on the naughty list.
What? Then why are they getting coal?
Because it's a reliable and affordable source of energy.
I mean, what better gift to receive than coal?
Well, yeah, that's true,
but I don't think people want it as a gift.
Well, it's in all the papers.
It's the must-have item this silly season.
Everyone loves coal, yeah? Um...
..I don't think that's what people are saying.
Sources of carbon emissions, coal.
Coal is down.
Major coal industries.
Yep. Everyone's talking about coal.
So, what is it, and why is it so controversial?
Let's start with the what?
Coal is a naturally-occurring rock that can be found around the world.
It comes from underground, and it's old, like, really old.
In fact, coal takes millions of years to form.
It's made from the remains of living things,
which are full of carbon.
When that carbon has been squashed and heated over millions of years,
it turns into coal.
And thousands of years ago,
humans discovered it burned really well.
The ancient Greeks and Romans used it to forge metal.
The Aztecs and ancient Chinese used it as fuel.
And some of Australia's Indigenous peoples burned it for heat.
But coal really took off in the 1700s
with the Industrial Revolution
and the demand to power new machines,
like the steam engine,
and then electric power plants.
Here in Australia,
coal was first discovered by settlers in 1797 at Coalcliff,
just north of Wollongong.
Huh. That's probably why it's called Coalcliff.
Anyway, turned out Australia had a lot of it.
I'm talking millions and millions of tons of the stuff
right under our toes.
That quickly led to mines being set up around the country
and entire towns being built around them.
And pretty soon, Australia was exporting
several million tons of the stuff to other countries.
Today, coal supplies about a third of the world's electricity,
and Australia still exports a lot of it,
but it looks like the popularity of coal is fading.
(CHANTING)
Wait! What? Protests?
See, I told you - not everyone loves coal.
Oh, but it's so combustible and sooty.
Yeah, but it's also really bad for the environment.
When burned, it releases greenhouse gases.
Yep, coal is a fossil fuel.
And when you burn it, it releases a lot of carbon dioxide.
That's one of the main greenhouse gases
contributing to climate change.
And at the recent COP26,
countries agreed to phase down the use of coal for the first time.
It is beyond question that Glasgow has sounded the death knell
for coal power.
Some countries were hoping it would be phased out completely.
But others, including India and China,
said their people still need coal
as a reliable and cheap source of fuel.
And Australia's PM, Scott Morrison, says it can still have a future.
To all of those who are working in that industry in Australia,
they'll continue to be working in that industry
for decades to come.
Mr Morrison says the coal industry provides thousands of jobs
and is a big contributor to our national economy.
So, the plan is to reduce it, but over a longer period of time,
and, in the meantime, work on new technologies
to make coal a cleaner source of energy.
But many people reckon there are already greener options out there,
and that the planet can't afford to delay ditching coal.
Well, what are we going to do with all this coal now?
Put it back and give the kids something they actually want.
Oh, well, that's a good idea, I suppose.