New scramble for coal a reminder of how hard it is to go green

On the eve of a climate summit where governments will be asked to pledge lower carbon emissions, demand for fossil fuels has spiked. That could shift the focus from targets to action.

In the blue corner, the world’s accelerating drive to stem carbon emissions and turn back global warming. In the red corner, a sudden spike this month in global demand for fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal.

There’s a heavyweight fight going on over energy priorities, and it has dramatically raised the stakes for the most important...