In a historic agreement, the G7 just agreed to phase out coal in the first half of the 2030s, according to statements made today.
The G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, plus the EU – are meeting in Turin, Italy. It’s the first large political since COP28 in December when the world pledged to transition away from fossil fuels.
Andrew Bowie, the UK’s minister in Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, confirmed the news to Class CNBC:
G7 countries generated 16% of their electricity from coal in 2023, down from 29% in 2015, according to data from energy thinktank Ember.
Japan has the highest share at 32% in 2023, followed by Germany at 27%. The US is in line with the G7 average (16%), while the other G7 members have mostly already phased out coal: France (0.4%), the UK (1.4%), Canada (5%), and Italy (5.3%).
“This is another nail in the coffin for coal,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s Global Insights program director. “The journey to phase out coal power has been long: it’s been over seven years since the UK, France, Italy, and Canada committed to phase out coal power, so it’s good to see the United States and especially Japan at last be more explicit on their intentions.
“The problem is that whilst coal power has already been falling, gas power has not. G7 nations already promised to ‘fully or predominantly’ decarbonize their power sectors by 2035, and that would mean phasing out not only coal by 2035 but also gas. Coal might be the dirtiest, but all fossil fuels need to be ultimately phased out.”
Top comment by Arno Hayes
Good move. Though I do believe completely shutting down natural gas leaks is at least as high a priority. It's high time that got serious attention, since I think there are satellites that can monitor it now. It's a no brainer to monitor especially the fossil fuel industry's properties closely. A task force should be set up for it. Empowered by serious fines.
G7 countries generated 34% of their electricity from gas in 2023, up from 29% in 2015.
Read more: In a first, the world agrees to the ‘beginning of the end’ of the fossil fuel era
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments