
Today’s new coal phase-out announcements: an explainer
46 countries signed on to a Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement
The “coal to clean deal” is perhaps not quite as promised by the UK government. It’s not really a global deal because it misses so many key coal countries, and it’s also not on a 1.5 pathway. But it will shift a focus onto phasing out existing coal. Especially so in Asia where it is needed most.
I have worked on coal phase-out for 8 years now, and no coal phase-out has been one big bang. It’s been a series of 100 steps. Today many countries took a lot of steps in one go. And, perhaps even more importantly, this will encourage countries that weren’t at the table – like China and India – to be bold to take a few more steps forward that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
And that will definitely be substantive enough to edge us slightly closer towards 1.5 degrees.
Stay up to date with the latest announcements: see our Trello board and Twitter thread
Today, the UK government published a list of 46 countries that have signed on to a Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement, saying (alongside other announcements on coal) that “the end of coal is in sight”.