Coal is dirty. Really dirty. There is no getting around that fact.
It is responsible for 40% of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Mining coal wreaks havoc on the environment and on the people who live there. Besides CO2, burning coal produces pollutants like mercury, sulfur dioxide, which is linked to acid rain, and particulate matter, which causes respiratory illnesses.
Tackling climate change is impossible without reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, especially coal. The problem is, coal is cheap and developing economies like India prefer low-cost fuel sources.
