TURIN: Energy and climate ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Tuesday agreed a time frame for phasing out coal-fired power plants that are not equipped to capture emissions by the first half of the 2030s in a major step towards curbing fossil fuel use.
The decision was announced following a two-day meeting in Turin, marking the first major political gathering since the global community pledged to transition away from coal, oil, and gas at the UN’s COP28 climate summit in December.
The G7’s commitment to phase out unabated coal power generation aligns with efforts to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, with an even safer threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The statement, however, allows for flexibility, permitting nations to adopt timelines consistent with their net-zero pathways while keeping the 1.5-degree target within reach.
The G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the United States, faced challenges in negotiating a fixed date for the phase-out, particularly due to Japan’s heavy reliance on coal. Despite the hurdles, the ministers agreed on the mid-2030s timeframe, reflecting a collective commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
France’s Ecological Transition Minister, Christophe Bechu, hailed the agreement as a demonstration of determination to implement the transition away from fossil fuels as decided at COP28. Luca Bergamaschi from the Italian climate think tank ECCO described the move as a “decisive step forward” in translating the commitments made at COP28 into national policies.
However, some experts expressed concerns regarding the timeline, emphasizing the urgency of faster action. Climate Analytics policy institute cautioned that the 2035 target might be too late, especially considering that several countries had already committed to earlier phase-out dates. “Many of these countries have already publicly committed to phase out dates ahead of 2030, and only have a small amount of coal capacity anyway,” Jane Ellis, head of climate policy, said in a statement.
The G7 ministers also tackled the thorny issue of plastic pollution amid a heated debate over how to design a treaty addressing the scourge — by reducing production or boosting recycling.
The ministers said they “aspired” to reduce and if necessary restrain the global production of plastic”. Plastic waste is now found everywhere from the summits of mountains to the ocean floor and in human blood and breast milk.
The G7 “aspiration” comes as a fourth and penultimate round of UN-led negotiations to solve global plastic pollution wrapped up in Ottawa with a world-first pact said to be within reach by year’s end — but without a cap on the production of polymers.
