I think liberal democracy is virtual a thing of the past. In the UK, for example, the three main political parties are, basically, indistinguishable from each other in regards to their overall, practical economic, social and foreign policies. This means, obviously, that the people don't really have choice anymore, as the choice has been whittled down to different wings of the same ruling party.
Coal is the fuel of choice for the future. Without it, arguably, capitalism has no future in the short term. One can kiss the green revolution goodbye. It was always fake.