By ED MILIBAND

On Nov. 7, we'll be only a month away from the start of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. One of the most pressing challenges to a global deal on climate change will be coal - a subject that is of critical importance to many countries around the globe, but also to a state like Montana where over 60 percent of electricity is generated from coal.

Coal is the fuel we must clean up. This is important not just for people who are concerned about the climate but also for those who simply want to keep the lights on.

It is one of the most carbon-intensive fuels we have. A unit of electricity from a coal-fired power station creates approximately twice as much carbon dioxide or CO2 as a unit of electricity from gas.

But we cannot live without it because it is the mainstay of the electricity grid in so many countries, and in a number of U.S. states. Coal is cheap and abundant. In the UK, coal provides a third of our electricity. I was recently in Poland where 95 percent of the country's electricity is generated from coal. It is very hard to see a secure energy future for the world that does not involve coal.

But how do we make it cleaner? Britain and a number of other countries have been focusing on the technology that can solve the dilemma: Carbon Capture and Storage.

CCS has the potential to remove

90 percent of the CO2 emissions from coal-fired power stations. Carbon dioxide is trapped in the flues of power stations and piped deep underground into long-term storage sites instead of polluting the air we breathe.

Without CCS, the cost of tackling climate change could rise by 70 percent.

The challenge is that CCS is a new and complex technology. It will take concerted action to take it from the small-scale demonstrations we currently have to the default design for power stations. That change will have to come quickly if we are to make the transition in time to meet the climate challenge the world faces.

The UK has already set out bold plans for deployment of CCS. We have proposed the toughest requirements in the world on new coal-fired power stations and have plans to support up to four full commercial-scale CCS plants to demonstrate the technology. We are devoting billions of dollars to support clean coal technology and we are happy to share our experiences with others.

CCS is also a win for the economy. It will create new jobs for CCS research, development and construction, while ensuring the continued vibrancy of economies that rely on coal.

There are no second chances with climate change. We cannot waste a day between now and the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December. All opportunities, including potential win-win solutions such as CCS for coal, must be seized upon to achieve the most ambitious, effective and fair international climate change deal possible.

Ed Miliband is the United Kingdom Secretary for Energy and Climate Change.