This high-level presentation builds on previous work undertaken by the Republic of South Africa's Department of Science and Technology (DST). It presents the principal environmental challenges identified by the DST, starting not from where South Africa is today but where it should be a decade from now. The challenges outlined address an array of social, economic, political, scientific, and technological benefits including those benefits gained by implementing clean coal technology. The presentation elaborates on the fact that with the implementation of newer coal technologies such as integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC), energy from coal can be an environmentally friendlier process.