Climate change and coal: UK statement to the OSCE
Justin Addison (UK Delegation to the OSCE) tells the OSCE's Asian Partners conference that to keep temperature rises below 1.5ºC we need to move away from unabated coal power.
COP28 comes at a crucial time, involving the first ever Global Stocktake of progress against the Paris Agreement. It must deliver an outcome that puts the world on track to keep temperature rises below 1.5ºC, halving global emissions by 2030. To do this, we need to move away from fossil fuels and unabated coal power.
Further development of coal as the most polluting energy source could render the 1.5ºC goal impossible. A policy of no new coal aligns with acting on the commitment in the Glasgow Climate Pact to accelerate the phase down of coal. Coal remains the largest source of global emissions and largest source of global electricity generation.
The battle for no new coal has largely been won. Almost every country in the world has stopped building new coal power stations. In the second half of 2022, the total amount of new coal power capacity under consideration dropped below 100 GW in the world outside China for the first time since data collection began. This shows the momentum behind no new coal.
Committing to end new coal globally represents a critical step to transitioning to a clean and sustainable energy future, as well as an opportunity for all countries to unite around global net-zero goals and highlight their individual leadership in ensuring a just transition that leaves no one behind.