Countries must stop coal approvals to reach net zero – IEA
Transition is complicated in countries with high coal dependency because of remaining lifetimes of plants and expense of gas
An immediate halt to approvals for new unabated coal‐fired power plants is needed if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a report from the IEA titled Coal in Net Zero Transitions. If operated for typical lifetimes and utilisation rates, the existing worldwide coal‐fired fleet would emit 330gt CO₂. This would account for two‐thirds of the remaining cumulative emissions budget of 500gt CO₂, consistent with a 50pc chance of limiting average global temperature warming to below 1.5°C. But far from declining, coal demand has been hovering at near‐record highs for the past decade. “Global coal use and emissions have essentially plateaued at a high level, with no definit
Also in this section
5 December 2024
Completion of phase-one construction expected in 2027 as technology providers SLB and Linde take equity stakes in one of world’s largest CCS projects
5 December 2024
The new edition of Outlook, our annual publication about the year ahead for energy, produced in association with White & Case, is available now
27 November 2024
The agreement by the parties to raise at least $300b/yr for developing countries by 2035 was derided as a betrayal by the Global South, but the UN urged pragmatism
26 November 2024
Agreements on how to operationalise both Article 6.2 and 6.4 will mean countries can start to trade emissions reductions as part of their contributions to the Paris Agreement