The European Union sees itself leading the world in curbing carbon-dioxide emissions and doing more than any other region to mitigate climate change. But it is also increasing the share of electricity being generated by the most carbon-intensive energy source of all: coal. Coal-fired electrical-generation plants are being started up in Europe—and comparatively clean gas-fired generating capacity is being shut down. That is hardly what the climate doctor ordered—and it is part of what many experts see as an energy-policy mess that is weighing on the Continent’s industrial base. So who is to blame? We could start with Americans. They have turned the energy world on its head by exploiting large amounts of shale gas—natural gas tightly embedded in rocks deep underground. As a result, natural-gas prices in the U.S. have fallen, displacing coal as the country’s least-expensive energy source. Losing their home market, U.S. coal producers have sought […]