ALL COUNTRIES SHOULD PHASE OUT COAL BY 2040, SAYS UNITED NATIONS CHIEF

The United Nations is pushing for a global coalition committed to net zero emissions by 2050 that will cover all countries as well as businesses, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has said.

He has also called on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to phase out coal by 2030, and other nations by 2040.

Ahead of the April 22-23 Virtual Leaders’ Summit on Climate convened by the US in which 40 world leaders are likely to speak including Indian PM Narendra Modi, Guterres said he expects the most important countries - when it comes to the fight against the climate crisis - to be able to commit to net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the middle of the century.

He also expects them to commit to a drastic reduction of emissions for the next decade by reviewing their Nationally Determined Contributions.