A pledge to phase out coal was officially announced during the COP26 climate summit on Thursday. The initiative aims to phase out the use of the dirtiest fossil fuels that become the largest contributor to global warming. The pledge has 46 countries sign for it, including Vietnam, Poland, and Chile, 23 of which are making commitments on stopping coal use for the first time.
However, it was shunned by major coal users and producers such as Australia, China, India, and the US, which account for around half the world’s active coal-fired plants. Indonesia, a major coal exporter, did not agree to part of the pledge on stopping funding for new coal plants.
Global CO2 emissions dropped by 5.4% in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic grounded economies to a halt. However, the emissions are expected to rebound 4.9% this year as countries emerge from pandemic restrictions.
