COP 26 Day 4 | Is this the end of coal?
Euronews Green delivers a Special COP26 email to my mailbox every day during the two weeks it is running (01-12 November 2021). I’ll publish it in its entirety for those who are interested. This is the third in the series.
Today’s takeaway
It was Energy Day at COP26 today and negotiators switched their focus to how the world can ditch fossil fuels.
Among a flurry of announcements, one in particular stood out. Over 20 countries committed to both phasing out and refusing to build new coal power plants for the first time.
“Today, I think we can say that the end of coal is in sight,” said COP26 chairman Alok Sharma, praising the deal.
However, critics pointed out that the biggest polluters, like the United States and China, have so far failed to sign up. They also argued that all fossil fuels need to be phased out, it’s not just coal.
In a turn of events, by the end of the day, Poland had already reversed its commitment to exit coal by 2030.
Meanwhile, Indonesia backpedalled on its promise to end deforestation by 2030 after signing up to a landmark deal along with over 100 other countries.
If you weren’t able to follow along on Wednesday, here are the 5 key takeaways from day 3 of COP26.
At a glance
Biggest polluters are missing from major pledge to phase out coal
More than 40 countries have made a major commitment to end coal use on Wednesday. But several major economies still have not set a date for ending their dependence on the fuel that is a major source of planet-warming emissions.
Read more
What is ‘nature tech’ and why should you listen out for it at COP26?
Director and chair of the Nature4Climate initiative Lucy Almond makes the case for ‘nature tech’ and explains why bridging the two worlds is so essential.
Read more
Renewable energy will never be 100% green, says expert
Switching to clean energy is the best chance we have of slowing down the climate crisis. But one scientist tells Euronews renewable sources can never be 100% green, due to the emissions generated from manufacturing them.
Read more
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3 Responses to “As Seen from Afar 11/04/2021”
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Comment from Mitch –
I’m just falling back on my new mantra “We will see.”Mitch
Other major nations must have Manchins too.
EU and NZ are addressing financing of fossil fuels and are miles ahead of the U.S. on that. Yellen gets that need but Powell refuses–whether Biden appoints someone who will address it, instead of Powell, will tell us whether Biden is abandoning that part of addressing climate change, too (while he keeps approving new fossil fuel infrastructure as if it would never end or he has no intention of succeeding on these promises).