G7 pledge to phase out coal power but without fixing date

BERLIN: Officials from the Group of Seven wealthy nations announced on Friday that they will aim to largely end greenhouse gas emissions from their power sectors by 2035, making it highly unlikely that those countries will burn coal for electricity beyond that date.

Ministers from the G7 countries meeting in Berlin also announced a target to have a “highly decarbonized road sector by 2030,” meaning that electric vehicles would dominate new car sales by the end of the decade.

And in a move aimed at ending the recurring conflict between rich and poor nations during international climate talks, the G7 recognised for the first time the need to provide developing countries with additional financial aid to cope with the loss and damage caused by global warming.

The agreements will be put to leaders next month at the G7 summit in Elmau, Germany.

“The 2035 target for power sector decarbonisation is a real breakthrough. In practice, this means countries need to phase out coal by 2030 at the latest,” said Luca Bergamaschi, director of Rome-based campaign group ECCO.

Coal is a heavily polluting fossil fuel that’s responsible for a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans. While there are ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, experts say it is almost impossible to reduce it to zero, meaning it will likely have to be the first fossil fuel to be phased out.

G7 members Britain, France and Italy have already set themselves deadlines to stop burning coal for electricity in the next few years. Germany and Canada are aiming for 2030; Japan wants more time; while the Biden administration has set a target of ending fossil fuel use for electricity generation in the US by 2035.

Could boost climate aid

Under pressure to step up their financial aid to poor nations, the G7 ministers in Berlin said they recognised that “action and support for vulnerable countries, populations and vulnerable groups need to be further scaled up”.

This includes governments and companies “providing enhanced support regarding averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse impacts of climate change,” they said. Developing countries have for years demanded a clear commitment that they will receive funds to cope with the destruction wrought by climate change. Wealthy nations have resisted the idea, however, for fear of being held liable for costly disasters linked to their emissions.