G7 Nations Agree to End Coal Use by 2035, With Caveats

Energy ministers of the Group of Seven largest economies in the developed world — Germany, France, Canada, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States — have announced an agreement to permanently close coal-fired power plants by 2030 to 2035, or on a timeline that supports the global heating limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a press release from World Resources Institute (WRI) said.

The countries also said they will increase battery storage by six times before 2030 in support of renewable power grids.

“Stamping an end date on the coal era is precisely the kind of leadership we need from the world’s wealthiest countries. This decision provides a beacon of hope for the rest of the world, showing the transition away from coal can happen much faster than many thought possible,” said Jennifer Layke, global energy director of WRI, in the press release. “Putting an end to the world’s dirtiest fuel will provide cleaner air and massive health benefits to communities throughout these countries. It’s now imperative that these countries prioritize just transition measures to support the workers and communities who have relied on coal for decades.”

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The communiqué, published following talks between climate, environment and energy ministers in Turin, said the G7 nations would “phase out existing unabated coal power generation in our energy systems during the first half of 2030s,” reported CNN.

The reference to “unabated” coal left room for the use of coal beyond 2035 if countries captured their carbon pollution before it entered the atmosphere.

Another caveat to the agreement was that nations can decide upon “a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach, in line with countries’ net-zero pathways.”

This language also seems to allow coal use after 2035 if countries’ overall emissions do not contribute to a global temperature increase higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Anonymous sources said the stipulation was to give extra room to Japan and Germany, which rely heavily on coal, Reuters reported.

Germany has committed to shutting down all of its coal plants by 2038. Meanwhile, its current government said it wants to phase coal out completely by 2030.

According to UK thinktank Ember, coal makes up 32 percent of the energy mix in Japan, 27 percent in Germany and 16 percent in the U.S., reported CNN.

“As some of the largest emitters — and with the greatest concentrations of wealth — the G7 countries have a unique ability to steer the world’s course toward a clean energy future. This commitment says to the rest of the planet that this transition is possible — and international cooperation is critical to getting us there. It marks a profound shift in thinking from last year’s G7 meetings when countries failed to reach an agreement to move away from fossil fuels,” Layke said in the press release.

Scientists have said that by limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius we can avoid the most extreme effects of climate change.

Some G7 nations have almost ceased to use coal power entirely. In Italy, Canada and the UK, coal accounts for less than six percent of electricity use, while France’s coal use is almost nonexistent.

“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,” said Jane Ellis, climate policy leader at Germany’s Climate Analytics, as CNN reported.

Ministers from the G7 nations said $600 billion in investments for electricity distribution and transmission would be needed annually by 2030 while renewable energy development was being ramped up, reported Reuters.

“Today these countries have taken positive steps toward building a zero-carbon energy system that will transform the global economy. Now the G7 countries should back this political will with the critical finance needed to rapidly transition the world away from fossil fuels and toward zero-carbon energy, both in their own countries and abroad,” Layke said in the press release.