Developing “clean coal” technology would help the coal sector in both the US and China and prevent further job losses, the US energy secretary has said. Crashing prices for coal amid China’s economic slowdown and US investors’ preference for newer, less polluting energy technology has hit the industry hard in both countries. Last week, US coal group Peabody filed for bankruptcy under the weight of about $6bn in debt. Meantime Beijing’s bid to shutter capacity and cut jobs in the sector last month prompted mass protests in China by coal workers from at least two big state-owned mines. Clean coal is the holy grail for those who accept the world’s dependence on the energy source but want to curb emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases that scientists say contribute to damaging global warming. “The idea of having a continued opportunity for coal use in a highly carbon-constrained world is something that’s attractive for carbon reasons. It’s also attractive in addressing the coal country, the dislocations that otherwise would become even greater,” Ernest Moniz said in an interview in Beijing before the Peabody announcement.