Simon Jessop, Kate Abnett

GLASGOW (Reuters – Poland and Chile have pledged to eliminate coal-fueled power generation by Thursday. The deal was made at the COP26 summit in London. It would be a commitment of 190 countries and international organisations to do so.

The most polluting fossil fuel, coal is also the largest contributor to global climate change. It is essential to eliminate coal from the global economy in order to meet internationally agreed climate targets.

Signatories of the COP26 agreement https://www.reuters.com/business/cop would commit on Thursday to shun investments in new coal plants at home and abroad, and phase out coal-fuelled power generation in the 2030s in richer countries, and the 2040s for poorer nations, the British government said.

“The end to coal is within sight. The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal’s fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy,” British business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said.

A separate campaign, The Powering Past Coal Alliance (an international effort to phase out coal) announced it had gained 28 members. Ukraine was one of these new members. About a third (or so) of Ukraine’s last-year power was produced by coal.

Over the past few decades, factors including worries about global warming pollution and worsening economic profiles for coal-fueled generation have reduced its share of wealthy west countries like Britain, Germany, and Ireland.

However, coal produced 37% of all the world’s electricity for 2019, which is still a significant amount. A cheap and abundant supply also means that the fuel has a dominant role in power production in South Africa, Poland, and India. This will mean that these countries need huge investments in order to switch their industries and energy sources.

The world’s pipeline of coal-power projects is shrinking, but China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia have all been planning new plants.

Britain didn’t confirm if these countries were involved in the COP26 coke phase out pledge or if Vietnman’s Thursday pledge would have an impact on its coal-related pipelines that are in preconstruction.

China stated in September that it would cease funding coal plants overseas, but the pledge didn’t cover domestic projects.

A raft financial announcements will be made at COP26 Thursday, to go along with the coal promises. These include new investments in clean energy and support for workers and those who depend on coal to their livelihoods.

At the COP26 conference, countries including the United States and Britain announced a partnership of $8.5 billion with South Africa to accelerate the country’s coal-free transition.