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25 countries, EU pledge 'No New Coal' at Baku Climate Summit

In a major move, as many as 25 countries along with the European Union have pledged for a ‘no new coal’ commitment during the COP29 summit in Baku on Wednesday. 

Bhubaneswar: In a major move, as many as 25 countries along with the European Union have pledged for a ‘no new coal’ commitment during the COP29 summit in Baku on Wednesday. 

Australia, which is the world's second-largest coal exporter after Indonesia, for the first time committed to not building new coal power plants during the session. Appealing for phasing out coal from their energy systems, the pledge has asked all countries to include "no new coal" commitments in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which need to be updated before COP30 next year.

The pledge comes in wake of an increased awareness that rapid reduction of coal emissions is one of the most urgent priorities in order to keep global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius and the first step towards addressing this challenge is ending the construction of new coal. 

Launching a Call to Action for No New Coal on Wednesday, the initial signatories announced their intention to put forward national climate plans that reflect no new unabated coal in their energy systems and call on others to do the same.

Developed in collaboration with the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the diplomatic campaign by the endorsing countries encouraged all countries to end new coal power in the lead up to the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November 2025, with the United Kingdom being the latest and the first G7 country to phase out coal power plants.

While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has emphasized that there is no space for new unabated coal in a 1.5 degrees Celsius or even 2 degrees Celsius aligned pathway, coal capacity rose by 2 per cent in 2023.

Stressing the need for this transition, European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra shared that though many countries have opted out of coal power and shifted to affordable and clean energy, there is still a rise in coal power globally. "The commitment to transition away from fossil fuels needs to turn into real steps on the ground. One of the biggest threats to keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach is new coal power," he said, adding that the EU will extend its support to a diverse coalition of countries who are committed towards ending new coal power in their upcoming NDCs.