During a recent UN General Assembly, a coalition of seven countries formed the No New Coal Compact to adhere to Paris Agreement commitments to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The compact calls for all countries to halt the construction of new coal-fired power generation projects by the end of 2021.
The initial seven countries involved are Sri Lanka, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Montenegro, France, and the United Kingdom. Participating countries must agree to stop all construction of unabated coal plants. This means ending construction on plants with no abating technology such as carbon capture and storage.
The new compact is in line with recommendations from the International Energy Agency, which released a report titled “Net Zero by 2050,” urging no further financial investment in unabated coal plants by the end of this year.
Although carbon capture and storage has not yet proven itself as an effective climate solution due to the fact that it is expensive and energy-intensive, the inclusion of a carbon capture provision will likely encourage more countries to join the compact. We will continue to share updates on this agreement and follow the progress in participating countries.
