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Steam rises from a cooling tower at the Niederhausem coal-fired power plant in Bergheim, Germany, on March 25.
CNN
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In a landmark development for climate policy, British ministers said on Monday that G7 ministers had agreed to close all coal-fired power plants by 2035 at the latest, encouraging other countries to do the same. He said it could have an impact.
Setting an expiration date for coal, the most climate-polluting fossil fuel, has been highly controversial in international climate change talks. Japan, which will get 32% of its electricity from coal in 2023, according to climate think tank Ember, has blocked progress on the issue at past G7 meetings, CNN previously reported.
“We have agreed to phase out coal in the early 2030s,” Andrew Bowie, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, told Class CNBC in Turin, Italy. “By the way, this is a historic agreement, something that could not be achieved at COP28 in Dubai last year.”
“So it's absolutely incredible that the G7 countries are coming together around the table and sending a signal to the world that the world's developed countries are committed to phasing out coal by the early 2030s. .”
The UK Department for Energy and Net Zero pointed to the interview with CNN when asked to confirm the development.
The US State Department declined to comment on the G7 agreement. Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules requiring coal-fired power plants to capture nearly all of their climate pollution or shut down by 2039.
“Days after the EPA announced new proposed rules that would effectively bring forward the phase-out schedule for most coal-fired power plants, this G7 commitment is further confirmation from the U.S. that coal will be phased out sooner rather than later.” “,” said Catherine. Mr. Petersen is a senior policy advisor at climate change think tank E3G.
The initiative is a “particularly significant step forward for Japan, which is the only G7 country that has not committed to moving away from coal,” Petersen said.
Many other G7 countries have already developed national plans to phase out fossil fuels. About 16% of the G7's electricity comes from coal, Ember reports.
“This is another nail in the coffin for coal,” said Dave Jones, Global Insights program director at Ember. “The road to phasing out coal-fired power generation has been a long one. It has been more than seven years since the UK, France, Italy and Canada committed to phasing out coal-fired power generation. It would be good to be more clear about coal-fired power generation's intentions. ”
However, he warned that while coal-fired power is declining, gas consumption continues. “Coal may be the most polluting, but all fossil fuels will eventually need to be phased out,” he said.
Fossil fuels are the main cause of the climate crisis. Almost all countries in the world agreed to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year, but the failure to set an end date for coal was seen as a shortcoming in these negotiations. .
Energy, environment and climate ministers are meeting in Turin, which is expected to conclude on Tuesday.
The G7 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union is also a member state with special status and typically leads global climate policy. The group's decisions often influence or influence the broader G20, which includes major fossil fuel producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, as well as other large emitters such as China and India. or
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN's Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
