Defending the use of fossil fuels is a bit like defending the slaughter of whales for their oil- thankfully, a long dead practice.

Coal kills.  It causes cancer and other illness in humans.  The burning of coal pollutes the atmosphere- the air we breath- with heavy metals to include, mercury, lead, strontium, uranium, and other heavy metals- to include radioactive isotopes. 

The leading cause of mercury contamination of fish comes from coal- fired power plants.  Most fish that people eat have mercury in them. 

Exposing children to lead that comes from coal power plants is essentially making a decision to harm our kids, to reduce their IQs as there is no safe lead level exposure for children.

It simply is not smart to ignore science and continue to damage the world we all enjoy.