G-7 Nations Tussle Over Bid to Phase Out Coal Power by 2030
Wrangling over the deadline for phasing out coal risks signaling weakened resolve ahead of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
A coal power plant in Niederaussem, Germany.
Photographer: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images
Group of Seven nations are butting heads over the timeline for phasing out coal-fired power ahead of next weekend’s summit of top energy and environmental ministers.
Draft communique documents circulated before negotiations resume Tuesday and seen by Bloomberg News show the European Union, the US and Japan expressed reservations about a UK proposal to set a 2030 deadline for phasing out unabated domestic coal power generation. The language, which won France’s backing, also would have recognized the need to “cancel the pipeline of new global coal power generation projects,” and therefore have the G-7 countries committing to end construction of new domestic coal-fired power plants and work with international partners to end similar efforts globally.