Coal
Japan net zero emissions pledge puts coal in the spotlight
Prime minister Yoshihide Suga has promised to “fundamentally shift” Japan’s coal policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
World Bank branch indirectly backs coal megaproject despite green pledge
International Finance Corporation piloted its green equity policy with an Indonesian bank, which went on to fund a 2,000 MW coal complex
Poland’s largest utility announces pivot from coal to renewables
PGE has announced a strategy to go 100% renewable by 2050, but it depends on passing responsibility for coal mines to another Polish state-owned entity
South Korea pursues Vietnamese coal plant, drawing international criticism
A decision by state-owned utility Kepco to invest in Vung Ang 2 coal power station goes against the government’s “green new deal” rhetoric
Poland agrees coal mining phase out with unions by 2049
Agreeing an end date for coal mining is a big step for Polish trade unions, but climate experts say 2049 is too late and Brussels won’t agree to state aid plans
Bangladesh considers scrapping 90% of its coal power pipeline
The energy minister has signalled a major pivot away from Chinese-funded coal plants in Bangladesh, but this is not yet government policy
Guterres confronts China over coal boom, urging a green recovery
China’s provinces have overseen a coal plant building spree in the first half of the year, in a bid to revive the Covid pandemic-hit economy
Poland bails out coal, yet wins access to EU climate funds
Warsaw can get EU money allocated for greening the economy, despite having no plan to exit coal or commitment to the bloc’s 2050 net zero emissions goal
No time for loopholes: Japan must immediately end all overseas coal finance
Environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi promised to scrap funds for dirty power plants abroad, but the government is making too many exceptions
Portugal ends coal burning two years ahead of schedule
Portugal is the third EU country this year to announce early closure of its last coal plants, as rising carbon costs and competition from gas and clean energy bite
India eyes private investment to open 41 new coal mines
Prime Minister Modi says private coal mining will boost India’s energy security, despite expert warnings of stranded assets and indigenous rights violations
Coronavirus lockdown speeds India’s shift from coal to solar power
Renewable energy sources are proving resilient in the Covid-19 crisis, while analysts say coal power capacity could peak this decade
South Korean government backs $2 billion bailout to coal company, despite green finance pledge
Campaigners ask government to explain relief for coal plant manufacturer Doosan Heavy Industries, contrary to its promise to end coal financing
South Korea to implement Green New Deal after ruling party election win
Seoul is to set a 2050 net zero emissions goal and end coal financing, after the Democratic Party’s landslide victory in one of the world’s first Covid-19 elections
China-backed coal plants on EU’s doorstep hide huge carbon costs
Feasibility studies for two major coal power projects in Bosnia and Serbia – backed by Chinese banks – downplay the costs of emissions and ignore air and water pollution
Court blocks Polish coal plant, in win for climate campaigners
Client Earth successfully challenged the Ostrołęka C project on behalf of shareholders, arguing it was a bad financial bet as renewables become competitive
Germany ready to join global coal phase-out alliance: environment minister
Now its coal commission has recommended a 2038 exit date, Germany can join a global alliance to end coal burning, Svenja Schulze tells Taz newspaper
Turkish supreme court blocks coal plant, as wave of new projects stalls
Local opposition won a legal ruling against a major project on the Black Sea coast – the latest challenge to Turkey’s plans to expand coal use
Germany to quit coal by 2038, under commission proposal
After late-night talks, a dedicated commission has agreed a timetable to phase out coal burning in Europe’s largest economy
On their patron saint’s day, Polish miners pray for a decent future
Twenty kilometres from Cop24 climate talks in Katowice, mining trade unionists look to St Barbara, not Warsaw, Brussels or the UN, for answers to their struggles