By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Poland, Vietnam, Chile and other countries have pledged for the first time to phase out coal-based power generation and stop building new plants.
The COP26’s British hosts, in a statement issued late on Wednesday, said the new signatories mean 190 nations and organisations are committing to quit the fuel.
Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, and greenhouse gas emissions from burning it are the single-biggest contributor to climate change.
Weaning the world off coal is seen as vital to achieving globally agreed climate targets, including limiting global warming to the 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) threshold to avert disaster.
The British government said signatories of the COP26 agreement are committing to ending all investment in new coal power generation domestically and internationally, as well as rapidly scale up clean power generation.
Participating nations also committed to phasing out coal power in the 2030s for large economies, and the 2040s for smaller economies.
“The end of coal is in sight,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, the British business and energy secretary. “The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal’s fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy.”
