Efficient coal incompatible with climate action

A new report by Ecofys has highlighted that even the most efficient coal plants are not compatible with global climate change goals. David de Jager, Principal Consultant at Ecofys said:

“The future of coal-fired power plants, even of ‘efficient’ ones, looks bleak due to the drastic CO2 emission reductions in the power sector that are needed to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C, let alone the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris.” Sebastien Godinot, Economist at WWF’s European Policy Office responded:

“This report discredits claims from the coal industry and governments such as those of Japan, Germany, South Korea, Australia and Poland that efficient coal plants are compatible with climate action. It is clear that in a post-Paris world, there is quite simply no role for coal, however ‘efficient’.” An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that emissions from the global electricity sector need to rapidly reduce and be close to zero by 2050 in order to stay under the global target limit of 2 degree Celsius.

Godinot said:

“With the G7 meeting in Japan, some of the biggest coal nations have a unique opportunity to begin to phase out coal subsidies and coal use.”