U.N. chief urges wealthy nations to phase out coal use by 2030
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on wealthy nations to end coal use by 2030 so the world can meet its goals to curb global warming, urging G7 nations to make that commitment before or at a leaders’ summit in June.
In a video message to a virtual gathering of the “Powering Past Coal Alliance”, Guterres said emissions-cutting pledges by governments fell far short of what is needed to limit climate heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
But if immediate action were taken to end use of what he called the dirtiest, most polluting and increasingly costly fossil fuel in power generation, “then we have a fighting chance to succeed”, he added.
“Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5-degree goal,” the U.N. chief said.
Scientists estimate that coal use in electric power generation must fall by 80% below 2010 levels by 2030 to meet the 1.5C warming limit, which is the more ambitious goal set by more than 190 nations in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Guterres said all 37 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – a group of mainly high-income nations – should promise to stop using coal by 2030, and the rest should do so by 2040.
“Science tells us this is essential to meet the Paris Agreement goals and protect future generations,” he added.
