COP26 agrees on phased reduction of coal-fired power generation

Countries around the world reached an agreement to reduce coal-fired power generation in phases. This agreement was part of the “Glasgow Climate Pact,” which was adopted at the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). It is the first time that a COP agreement includes a provision designed to restrict the use of fossil fuels including coal.

Apart from phased reduction of coal-fired power generation, the “Glasgow Climate Pact”’ as announced by the U.N. and the U.K., COP26’s host, also includes maintaining the goal of keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius, phased reduction of subsidies for fossil fuels, resubmission of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) by countries next year, and doubling of the climate fund. The pact was adopted unanimously through tough, time-consuming negotiations that led more than 200 countries to delay the closing date of the conference from Friday to Saturday.

The centerpiece of the pact includes “reduction in phases of coal-fired power generation plants without carbon reduction facilities and ‘acceleration of efforts to phase out subsidies for inefficient fossil fuel (Article 36). “The very fact that coal, which accounts for about 40 percent of carbon dioxide emission as a cause of climate change, is officially mentioned in the COP agreement constitutes a great achievement in itself,” Reuters reported. However, environmental groups are criticizing the pact as “half-baked” saying that it suffered setbacks: The COP26 originally discussed outright halting coal-fired power generation but ended up merely agreeing on phased reduction.


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