Fifteen countries have urged the COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber to work together with them to ensure that COP28 delivers a global agreement to end new coal-fired power generation and to accelerate its phase-out
The UK, Canada, Germany, and 12 other countries are stepping up a push to halt new coal-fired power stations and clamp down on polluting existing plants, after failure to make progress in the two years since a UN pact on coal was first signed.
The ministers of 15 nations are behind a letter seen by the Financial Times that urges the upcoming COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai to deliver an agreement that will end public and private finance for new coal power projects.
Almost 200 countries agreed for the first time at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 to phase down coal power without the emissions captured.
The open letter has been signed by ministers representing Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Niue, Panama, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Vanuatu.
The signatories also call for a collective momentum at COP28 to develop a strategy for coal power phase-out that generates the necessary financial flows and ensures that the right guardrails are put in place to protect coal-dependent regions, workers, and communities. They also call on all financial institutions to commit to end financing for new unabated coal, including by signing into the PPCA Finance Principles, to facilitate the redirection of finance towards clean energy and an accelerated retirement of coal power plants.
“As we enter the final preparations for COP28, we must unite to go further and faster on phasing out and ending new unabated coal power. Today, we call on the Presidency to ensure a strong and credible response to the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement to build a low-carbon economy. Our message is clear: we need to accelerate the transition away from coal power emissions in a just manner, securing access to clean and sustainable energy sources and ensuring that no worker or community is left behind. The time for half-measures and gradual change has passed. The time to act is now. Together, let’s make COP28 a pivotal moment where we agree to accelerate the phase out of unabated coal and move towards a cleaner, greener, and more resilient world for all.”Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada and PPCA co-chair
“Progress on phasing down unabated coal power has been significant – but insufficient. At COP26 in Glasgow the world agreed to accelerate coal phase down and the PPCA has expanded to over 165 members committed to coal phase-out. COP28 provides a huge opportunity to galvanise action so that this most polluting of power sources is massively reduced and then eliminated – so that 1.5°C stays within reach.”Graham Stuart, Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, United Kingdom, and PPCA co-chair
