African Climate Alliance’s Post

The UK’s last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will close this month, ending a 142-year era of burning coal to generate electricity. The UK’s coal-power phaseout is internationally significant. It is the first major economy – and first G7 member – to achieve this milestone. It also opened the world’s first coal-fired power station in 1882, on London’s Holborn Viaduct. From 1882 until Ratcliffe’s closure, the UK’s coal plants will have burned through 4.6bn tonnes of coal and emitted 10.4bn tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – more than most countries have ever produced from all sources, Carbon Brief analysis shows. The UK’s coal-power phaseout will help push overall coal demand to levels not seen since the 1600s. The phaseout was built on four key elements. First, the availability of alternative electricity sources, sufficient to meet and exceed rising demand. Second, bringing the construction of new coal capacity to an end. Third, pricing externalities, such as air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2), thus tipping the economic scales in favour of alternatives. Fourth, the government setting a clear phaseout timeline a decade in advance, giving the power sector time to react and plan ahead. The UK’s experience, set out and explored in depth in this article, demonstrates that rapid coal phaseouts are possible – and could be replicated internationally. As the UK aims to fully decarbonise its power sector by 2030, it has the challenge – and opportunity – of trying to build another case study for successful climate action. When did the UK start using coal power? The UK’s resource endowment has long included abundant coal, which had been used in small quantities for centuries. Coal use for electricity generation only came much later. Over the centuries, surface coal deposits had been exhausted and mining became a necessity, despite the dangers of subsurface flooding, rock collapse and noxious gases. The earliest steam engines, in use from around 1700, burned coal to pump water out of mines, enabling deeper coal deposits to be accessed. These steam engines were very inefficient, but improvements by inventors including James Watt and George Stevenson made the use of coal more economical – and more widespread. (This effect, whereby greater efficiency reduced costs, which, in turn, raised demand and fueled greater use of coal, despite higher efficiency, became known as the Jevons paradox.) As a result, UK coal use began to surge as shown in the chart below, helping to power the Industrial Revolution, the British empire – and an explosion in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. UK coal demand shown in million tonnes from 1700 through to 2024 (estimated) with key dates noted. Source: Carbon Brief analysis of data from the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and Paul Warde. Speaking to Carbon Brief, Dr Ewan Gibbs senior lecturer in economic and social history at the

The UK’s last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will close this month, ending a 142-year era of burning coal to generate electricity. The UK’s coal-power phaseout is internationally significant. It is the first major economy – and first G7 member – to achieve this milestone. It also opened the world’s first coal-fired power station in 1882, on London’s Holborn Viaduct. From 1882 until Ratcliffe’s closure, the UK’s coal plants will have burned through 4.6bn tonnes of coal and emitted 10.4bn tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – more than most countries have ever produced from all sources, Carbon Brief analysis shows. The UK’s coal-power phaseout will help push overall coal demand to levels not seen since the 1600s. The phaseout was built on four key elements. First, the availability of alternative electricity sources, sufficient to meet and exceed rising demand. Second, bringing the construction of new coal capacity to an end. Third, pricing externalities, such as air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2), thus tipping the economic scales in favour of alternatives. Fourth, the government setting a clear phaseout timeline a decade in advance, giving the power sector time to react and plan ahead. The UK’s experience, set out and explored in depth in this article, demonstrates that rapid coal phaseouts are possible – and could be replicated internationally. As the UK aims to fully decarbonise its power sector by 2030, it has the challenge – and opportunity – of trying to build another case study for successful climate action. When did the UK start using coal power? The UK’s resource endowment has long included abundant coal, which had been used in small quantities for centuries. Coal use for electricity generation only came much later. Over the centuries, surface coal deposits had been exhausted and mining became a necessity, despite the dangers of subsurface flooding, rock collapse and noxious gases. The earliest steam engines, in use from around 1700, burned coal to pump water out of mines, enabling deeper coal deposits to be accessed. These steam engines were very inefficient, but improvements by inventors including James Watt and George Stevenson made the use of coal more economical – and more widespread. (This effect, whereby greater efficiency reduced costs, which, in turn, raised demand and fueled greater use of coal, despite higher efficiency, became known as the Jevons paradox.) As a result, UK coal use began to surge as shown in the chart below, helping to power the Industrial Revolution, the British empire – and an explosion in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. UK coal demand shown in million tonnes from 1700 through to 2024 (estimated) with key dates noted. Source: Carbon Brief analysis of data from the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and Paul Warde. Speaking to Carbon Brief, Dr Ewan Gibbs senior lecturer in economic and social history at the

A wonderful, slightly crispy, and shy Thursday morning! Welcome to, yet another day for increased coal power capacity!  The world’s coal power capacity grew for the first time since 2019 last year, despite warnings that coal plants need to close at a rate of at least 6% each year to avoid a climate emergency. A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown of plant closures in Europe and the US. About 69.5 gigawatts (GW) of coal plant capacity came online last year, of which two-thirds were built in China, according to the report. There were also plants built in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Korea, Greece and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, a slowdown in coal plant shutdowns in the US and Europe led to more than 21GW retiring last year. This resulted in a net annual increase of almost 48.5GW for the year, the highest since 2016. https://lnkd.in/ej_XkEvc

The global state of coal right before #COP29: 📈 thermal coal production at a record high 🔥 coal plant fleet still growing ⚠️ 95% of coal companies still without a phase-out plan 👉 Since the Paris Agreement, the world’s installed coal plant capacity has grown by 216 Gigawatts – with another 579 GW in the pipeline. Thermal coal production is set to grow by 2,636 million tons per year – a 35% increase on current levels. 👉 We found only❗7 companies❗that plan a Paris-aligned phase-out and a switch to renewable energy. The 2024 #GlobalCoalExitList has detailed information on more than 1,500 coal companies operating along the entire thermal coal value chain. More than 600 of them are planning to build more mines, extract more coal or build more coal power plants. Bottom line: The coal industry is not changing its destructive course.❌🔥 Years of engagement to achieve a sustainable transition have ultimately failed. ➡️ The way out: Cut these companies’ financial lifeline. Finance has the power to hasten the world’s exit from coal. However, this requires crystal-clear policies for rapidly phasing out coal finance and investment.❗ 🛠️ The tool: The Global Coal Exit List (GCEL) provides all necessary information for financial institutions to free their portfolios of coal companies. Investors representing almost $20 trillion in assets are already using GCEL.👏 🙌 The role models: Insurance companies AXA and Munich Re exclude all companies with over 15% coal revenue, while Denmark’s Danske Bank, Sweden’s Handelsbanken and Norway’s KLP exclude companies with over 5% coal revenue. ℹ️ Details at www.coalexit.org #coalexit #coal #climatecrisis #china #india #investments #phaseoutplan #transition #renewables #coalpolicy Stand.earth Instituto Internacional Arayara Rainforest Action Network Climate Action Network International Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke / ActionAid Denmark BankTrack Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) Facing Finance e.V. 350.org Reclaim Finance - ONG ReCommon Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED)

The UK is no longer deriving power from coal. As the first country to introduce coal power, they are the first of the G7 countries to eliminate it. Australia must follow the UK and develop a clear transition strategy with bipartisan support in order for us to deliver on our Paris Agreement commitment of net zero by 2050. #netzero #renewableenergy #renewabletransition

The green energy transition, while necessary, deepens dependence on minerals from unstable countries, underscoring the need for strategic reassessment. -By Arne Nygaard; Kristiania University College https://lnkd.in/ebSxPnkS Research: https://lnkd.in/eD9NNeuT #alternativeenergy #chinarareearths #circulareconomy #closedlooprecycling #criticalminerals #electricvehicles #eugreentransition #geopoliticalrisks #greenenergy #greengrowth #marketpower #mineraldependency #mineralscarcity #resourcedependency #supplychains #sustainableenergy #sustainablesupplychains #thearcticuniversityofnorway #ukraineinvasion

Global coal demand is set to remain broadly unchanged in both 2024 and 2025 as surging electricity demand in some major economies offsets the impacts of a gradual recovery in hydropower and the rapid expansion of solar and wind, according to the IEA’s latest update on coal market trends worldwide. Positive news? Not really: the declines in coal burning in Europe and the US are offset by increases in China and India. The former, already responsible for more than half of global coal consumption, projects a 6.5% increase on last year. The latter is also forecasting increased demand for coal in power stations. Both increases are directly attributable to climate change, with extreme temperatures and drought combining to drive demand for aircon while reducing available power from hydroelectric sources. Scientists say a flattening of coal consumption is not good news. Indeed, nothing less than the total cessation of the use of fossil fuels can prevent climate disaster - and we’re running out of time. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) keeps warning the world that we have until 2030 to achieve the 50% reduction in emissions to have a chance at keeping temperatures broadly where they are now. And it's not just China and India. New research by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity found that new oil and gas projects approved or pending under the Biden administration could cancel out the emissions reductions delivered by Biden’s signature climate achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act. In the UK, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned the new administration that the country is not on track to hit it’s carbon reduction targets despite a significant reduction in emissions in 2023. This is partly because the previous government “signalled a slowing of pace and reversed or delayed key policies,” notes the CCC. “The new Government will have to act fast to hit the country’s commitments.”

New data from Ember reveals that German coal is much dirtier than we imagined. 🚨 They estimate German coal emissions are 184 times higher than officially reported. Why does it matter? 1. Because Methane is the second highest greenhouse gas contributor to climate change 2. Coal is the largest source of methane in the EU energy sector Coal emissions cause damage to our climate as a result of CO2 released from coal combustion, and methane emissions released when coal is mined and brought to the surface. It has extremely negative consequences on our environment. Nearly 40 years ago, a study was conducted by Rheinbraun AG, (a lignite mining company 👀) that put German coal emissions at 1,391 tons per year. This misleading figure has been utilized across the board for decades. Based on new research, Ember puts Germany’s coal mine methane emissions at approximately 256,000 tons per year. A massive discrepancy, highlighting outdated measurement methods and the urgent need for accurate data. To date, Germany remains the largest brown coal producer in the EU. As Dr. Sabina Assan puts it, “Germany cannot claim to be a climate leader whilst simultaneously underreporting their emissions.” While other countries like Poland and the USA demonstrate better monitoring practices, Germany lags. The EU methane regulation aims to address this issue by requiring more precise emission factors. So what does all of this mean for us? We need to move away from fossil fuels much faster. There’s no need to delay action and await new measurements from the lignite sector due by the end of 2025. With pressure mounting, Germany has an opportunity to lead alongside countries like Australia in adopting advanced measurement techniques and reducing methane emissions effectively. While this is certainly a disappointing moment for Germany, there is an opportunity to step up and course correct. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/d2uRNGeR #climatecrisis #sustainaibility #methaneemissions #coal

Australia once led the world in coal methane mitigation. So why are multi-million dollar hand-outs still needed to spur on emissions reductions? The post Coal mine methane mitigation is finally getting real again – but only after huge government handouts appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Not only does coal burning emit greenhouse gases contributing to climate change, but coal mining itself also inflicts ecological damage. Often, this comes at the cost of displacing local communities, particularly the Adivasis. on one hand, our energy demand, and on the other, the ecological and other harms of such projects create a critical dilemma. My article in Down To Earth...