India, March 31 -- India was turning green. Black was out, and so was an era of crude energy sources, even if refined adequately, and used as liquefied gas. Yet, the shine on coal, the black gold, has intensified in the past few weeks. Thanks to huge global shortages in crude oil, and gas, including LNG (liquefied natural gas), India, along with other nations, is re-focusing energy security. It demands a back-to-black tactics, and giving green a breather, even as the future of fossil fuels seems iffy. Black is in, even if it remains dirty, messy, and polluting.

Desperate to manage the energy crisis due to the Iran war, Indian officials have asked coal-based power utilities to ensure uninterrupted supply as the summer season looms. Utilit...