COAL-FREE COMMITMENT: 25 COUNTRIES PLEDGE TO PHASE OUT NEW COAL POWER PLANTS

In a significant step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, twenty-five countries from around the world have committed to not building any new unabated coal-power plants at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan. The voluntary pledge is aimed at accelerating the phaseout of coal, a highly polluting fossil fuel responsible for a substantial amount of planet-heating carbon emissions.

Signed by major economies such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and Australia, the pledge commits nations to submit national climate plans early next year that reflect no new unabated coal in their energy systems. Unabated refers to coal burned without any measures to reduce its emissions, such as carbon capture and storage.

However, the pledge does not compel nations to stop mining or exporting coal, which produces more planet-heating carbon emissions than oil and gas. Notably, some of the world's biggest coal-power generators, including China, India, and the United States, did not sign the initiative.

The European Union's climate envoy Wopke Hoekstra lamented that while there have been historic commitments to reduce fossil fuels for energy, "the commitment to 'transition away from fossil fuels' needs to turn into real steps on the ground."

Britain recently became the first of the Group of Seven industrial nations to end all reliance on coal in its power generation. The UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the international pledge, calling it a "clear signal from countries around the world that new coal needs to end" by the next COP summit in Brazil.

Activists at COP29 expressed relief and optimism over Australia's inclusion, saying that the decision closes the door on coal. "It's beyond time that we left it in the past, both in our energy systems and our export markets," said Erin Ryan from Climate Action Network Australia.

Developing countries, including Angola, Uganda, and Ethiopia, also signed the pledge, developed in collaboration with the Powering Past Coal Alliance. The move is seen as a significant step towards mitigating climate change, but still requires more effort to significantly reduce carbon emissions globally.