In December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the world's governments made an unprecedented commitment to a "transition" away from fossil fuels, which are largely responsible for climate change, during the COP28 climate conference. On Tuesday, April 30, the G7 climate, energy and environment ministers focused on the practical work. They pledged to close their coal-fired power plants "in the first half of the 2030s" – in other words, by 2035. This is an important step forward for the climate since coal is the most polluting of all energies, but it masks the difficulty of tackling oil and, above all, gas.
The seven major powers (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) met at the Royal Palace of Venaria in Turin, Italy, on Saturday, and for the first time collectively set a date for the end of coal use unless it is backed by CO2 capture and storage systems. This breakthrough was achieved after years of battling with Japan, the only G7 country without a national plan to phase out coal, which accounts for a third of its electricity mix. The other countries had already set deadlines; the earliest being the UK, in 2024, and the latest the US, in 2035 – in line with the Biden administration's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in the electricity sector by that date.
The result is less ambitious than the initial proposal from France, supported by the UK, pushing for a coal phase-out by 2030, a date aligned with the Paris Agreement's objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. "But the negotiations were very tough, and to have managed to set a deadline is historic. This really marks the beginning of a shift away from fossil fuels," said the Frenc Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The G7 wants to set an example and hopes to get the major emerging countries on board by 2040."
Arnaud Gilles, climate-energy advocacy officer at WWF France, hailed the "breakthrough at last." The deadline sends an important signal to the G20 countries, "which have been waiting for the richest countries to take the first step," and in particular China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, which accounts for two-thirds of new coal installations worldwide, he said.
More broadly, in Turin, the seven countries pledged to plan the transition away from fossil fuels. The communiqué called on them to "operationalize" their contribution to the transition away from fossil fuels by including it in their short-term climate plans and long-term strategies. "All countries will set themselves a timetable, which is essential," it continued.
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