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Scientists Weigh Call for Much Deeper Cuts to Coal Pollution

Panel convened by the United Nations is assessing a stricter limit on emissions that cause global warming

The an open-pit mine for lignite, the dirtiest form of coal, operated by a unit of CEZ AS in Bilina, Czech Republic. 

The an open-pit mine for lignite, the dirtiest form of coal, operated by a unit of CEZ AS in Bilina, Czech Republic. 

Photographer: Martin Divisek
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A panel of the world’s top climate scientists is preparing to recommend much deeper cuts in fossil-fuel pollution than currently suggested as a pathway to stave off a dangerous increase in global temperatures.

Utilities by 2030 would have to consume just a third of the coal they burn now to hold global warming since the start of the industrial era to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), according to a draft of the findings that the group will consider when it meets starting Monday in Incheon, South Korea. The cut is more than twice as steep as the boldest scenario outlined by the International Energy Agency.